Someday, I Hope You Learn To Love Me Too
by XSplashManX13
Summary: A seventeen year-old college student was supposed to have the most unproductive summer of his life. Instead, he goes home and receives shocking news-he's getting married for the sake of his father's work. Married? He's never even had a girlfriend yet. How will he handle the burden of saving his family and preparing for the upcoming school year? Can he keep his sanity? RokuNami AU
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Hello everyone! Summer's here for me, which means I'll be writing a lot in the next two-three months! Here's another story that came into mind. This won't be one of those stories I delete after a while; I plan to actually finish this one. This story is drawn from a partially personal experience. I hope you guys enjoy, please don't forget to leave a review, favorite or follow. Happy reading!**

The blond was excited. Well, why wouldn't he be? He hasn't been here, his hometown, in almost two years. He missed everything—the food, the environment, the weather, the people and of course, his friends and family. Even though he kept in touch with all of them via email/social media sites, he still missed them. He admits that he had become rather clingy since he left for Los Angeles.

But now all that is done, at least for the time being. He had just conquered his sophomore year in college and is ready to have the most unproductive summer of his life. He made plans for this summer, to make sure he stays lazy for every single day. The first of his plans of course, is to see his family again. He resisted the urge to pester the cab driver about going faster even if the car was already running a notch above the speed limit; he just missed everyone so much.

His thoughts were broken when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He flipped the cover to the side and looked to see who was calling him. It was his mother. He grinned and pressed the answer button.

"Hey mom!" he greeted cheerfully.

"Hello, son" greeted his mother "I just called to ask what time you'll be here?" something was off, the blond knew the second he heard her voice. His mother was usually always happy. Also, if she ever had problems, it didn't affect her mood at all unless the problem concerned life and death.

"I'll be home in about twenty minutes, Mom."

"Oh, I see" his mother said, exhaustion evident in her voice.

"Are you alright, Mom?"

"We'll see you later, son" with that his mother hung up.

Now the blond was really worried. Not only did his mother sound drained, but she also hung up just like that. Anxiety threatened to consume him. What could be going on?

For the rest of the ride home, the blond kept thinking. He pondered on what possibly could've put his mom in such an unusual mood. His mom has been upset and angry before but she's never failed to maintain her cheerfulness in spite of that. He sighed and just tried to take a short nap. He hasn't slept since two days ago anyways.

When the cab driver pulled over, he woke up.

"That'll be 63.28 kid."

"Here you go. Keep the change" the blond said as he handed the driver sixty-five.

"Thanks, kid. Have a good day."

"Thanks, you too."

The blond grabbed his bags and exited the car. He took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar scent of home. The scent relaxed the young man, easing his mind before dealing with whatever's beyond that door a few meters away from him. He sighed and walked to the door of his family's house.

He rang the doorbell and waited. A few seconds later, the door opened, revealing his mother. He did not like what he saw. Her eyes were semi-bloodshot, her hair was disheveled, her face looked older and her nose was swollen. Still, she weakly smiled at him and opened her arms towards him.

The blond dropped his bags and embraced his mother fiercely. The two stood in the doorway for a couple of minutes, just hugging each other. Soon, they pulled away.

"I'm so glad to see you, son" his mother admitted, her weak smile remaining on her lips.

"I'm glad to see you too, mom."

"Put your bags inside, I prepared some food for you."

The young man obeyed and stepped inside the house with his bags. Nothing has changed a bit since the last time he was here. He walked to his room, dropped his bags and changed into more comfortable clothes. After, he went downstairs to the dining area. His mother prepared some pasta for him. The sight of the food cooked by his mother was enough to make his mouth water. He dug in and finished the meal in minutes. After gulping down a glass of water, the two started to chat.

"So how was finals week?" his mother asked.

"It was really tough. I only slept Tuesday and Thursday night, I was awake during all of Monday, Wednesday and Friday."

"Why?"

"I had to finish a paper on Monday, I'm sorry, but I went to a club Wednesday night with my friends. I got a little tipsy and yes, I did have an exam the following morning. The exam was alright though. Yesterday, Friday, I went out to the club again with my friends. So here I am, running on fourteen hours of sleep since Monday."

"Son, you know you shouldn't be partying, especially during finals week. Remember why you're in Stanford, please son" his mother pleaded.

The young man resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Mom, I just went out. I didn't get wasted or anything, I just spent some time with my friends. Besides, I was able to answer my exams just fine. Don't worry, I won't lose sight of my dreams. I'll be on top of the corporate world in no time."

As soon as he said that last sentence, his mother's expression dimmed even further. She frowned and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. She hastily wiped themaway in an attempt to conceal them, but the young man couldn't be fooled.

"What's wrong, Mom?" the young man asked as he reached over to grab his mother's hands.

His mother just remained silent, so he continued to speak. "I know something's wrong, Mom. I've known since I heard your voice on the phone earlier. You've been acting differently since then. Now, we talk and you almost cry about something I said. Please, tell me what's wrong. Because I didn't come home all the way from Stanford to just see you like this" he pleaded.

Silence ensued. None of them spoke nor moved. Just when his mother opened her mouth to speak, they heard the front door open.

"I'm home!" a voice exclaimed.

The young man stood up to greet the owner of the voice. "Hey Dad"

At the sight of him, his father's expression dimmed as well. However, his father recovered quickly and smiled a fake smile at him. "Hey, Son! When did you get back?"

"Just about an hour ago" the blond replied as he shook his father's hand.

"Good to see you, Son."

"Yeah, you too, Dad. Now, tell me what's wrong?"

His father cringed, but tried to hide it. "What do you mean?"

The young man grew frustrated. What the hell is up with his parents? "Dad, I'm not stupid. Mom's been acting all tired since I got here and you're no different. Don't even try to smile at me because I can see right through it" his father bowed his head at this "Please, tell me what's wrong. I missed you guys…I didn't come home to see you both like this. Whatever it is, please tell me, I can handle it, no matter what it is."

His father sighed and ran a hand across his face. "Fine" he said as he sat in the dining area with his son and wife.

"Now, please explain" the young man pleaded again.

His father took a deep breath before speaking. "Three months ago, corporate officers of our union had a meeting. A matter was brought up regarding how some parties either refused to cooperate further or demanded more shares in the union's total profits. So solutions were proposed; more projects, searching for other partners, et cetera. However, until now, no viable solution has been found and more and more investors/partners are adopting the idea of leaving our corporate union. If that happens, the entire system will collapse and we'll be back to square one. Last week, one of our main investors proposed a solution. This solution appears to be the only one available to us that won't cause any collateral damage of some sorts.

"Then what is this solution?" the young man impatiently asked.

His father sighed once again before speaking. "A marriage; a marriage between the children of two major shareholders part of the union.

"So what does this have to do with us?"

Minutes of silence passed. His parents exchanged a glance, before his father finally said it. "I am a major shareholder of the union."

The young man still couldn't get it. "Please elaborate."

"Roxas, son, you're getting married" his mother finished.

The world around Roxas stopped.

"Wh…w-what?" he croaked out.

Married? He's never even been a relationship in his entire life and his parents just told him he's getting married?

"M..ma…marr…wh-wha? B-but Mom, Dad…I've never even had a damn girlfriend and you're telling me I'm…getting married?" he incredulously asked. His parents just bowed their heads in silence.

He came home to have the laziest summer yet; to relax, unwind and be unproductive because the previous school year took out a lot on him. Yet here he was; just minutes after reaching home, he receives word that he's getting married.

"I'm sorry, Son, but we had no other choice. You'll meet your future wife in a dinner party this Saturday. Your father and I will accompany you there."

"You won't marry her right away, Son, if that's what you're thinking. You'll be married a year from now."

"Why didn't you even tell me before I got here?" Roxas asked, ignoring his parents' words. He bit his tongue. He didn't want to bring up the whole "I'm your son, why are you treating me like a slave that you can just marry off to a woman I don't even know?" thing because he understood how his parents, especially his father, worked so hard for everything they had. Roxas wouldn't have anything if it weren't for his parents. That's what he kept trying to tell himself, despite the rather unfair circumstances for the young man.

"The decision was made only a few days ago. It was your finals week then, we didn't want to bother you."

"Oh, so you think it won't bother me now?" Roxas shot back angrily.

His mother sighed and held his hand. "We know how difficult this is for you-"

"No you don't!" Roxas screamed as he ripped his hand away and stood from his chair. He threw decorum and understanding aside; this is just too much. He knows they are still his parents, but they are acting as if he isn't their son. "If you knew how difficult this was for me, you would've asked for my perspective first. I don't care if it was finals week; this concerns my future, my life, my fate. How could both of you value education over something that concerns what's going to happen to me in the long run?"

"Son, we-"

"SHUT UP!" Roxas boomed "I'm trying to understand why you're doing this; why you BOTH even agreed to this but I simply can't. I understand how important this whole thing with your corporate union is with you, but isn't the idea of marriage important to me too? Call me a selfish brat, but why would you even consider arranging a marriage for a seventeen year-old incoming junior in college who has barely even considered being in a relationship?"

Roxas' parents just remained silent. The blond sighed and walked upstairs to his room. He slammed the door hard after entering then he plopped down his bed. He fought back the tears. After everything that's happened the past school year, he comes home to this—where he has to step in and save his parents. Not only that but he's getting married. Can things get worse for him?

Little did he know, they can and they will.

**A/N: So, how was it? Please leave a review and let me know what you think, any clarifications, et cetera. About the story, yes, Roxas is seventeen and is already an incoming junior in college, the idea is he skipped two or so years of elementary school. Will he be able to handle all this, getting married and more? The next chapter will focus on the dinner party mentioned where Roxas will meet his fiance. I'm sure you all can guess who it'll be, but this'll be a rather different arranged marriage. Thank you for reading! **


	2. Chapter 2: When Things Get Worse

**A/N: Hey guys, I'm back! For some reason thoughts about this story just kept attacking my mind. I just had to upload this chapter tonight (it's 11:35 PM right now in where I live). Thank you to users ventus535 and Greatwestern1522 for making this story a favorite, to users Coren024, Darkbeast42, Kayaneko and Shiranai Atsune for following and Kayaneko also, for leaving a review, YOU GUYS ROCK! Anyways, in this chapter, Roxas finally meets his fiancé, but before that he gets to hang out with some friends from the past. Also, some of what happened to Roxas in the past will be revealed. Happy reading!**

After days of ignoring his parents, the time when he had to meet his fiancé finally arrived. When he woke up in the morning and realized it was Saturday, the first thing he did was smack his forehead. It was going to be one hell of a day; not only will he continue to ignore his parents, but he'll have to meet this girl that'll be his wife. The frustration and anger of the news of him being married hit him back full force to a point where he wanted to punch a wall until his knuckles break for good.

Thankfully, before he could stand up, his phone rang. He sighed in exasperation before picking up his phone and answering.

"Hello?" Roxas tried to control his voice.

"Hey, Roxas! You home already?" one word was all it took for Roxas to realize who was on the other line. Sora. Somehow, talking to the hyperactive brunet calmed him down.

"Y-yeah, I got back last week."

"What?! Why didn't you even call us?"

"_Sorry, I was too busy ignoring the world_" Roxas thought to himself "I just had a lot on my mind lately."

"But it's summer! How the hell can you have "a lot on your mind" at a time like this! We should hang out bro!"

"I can't tonight. My parents and I are attending a dinner party" Roxas said with a grimace.

"Oh, then how about right now? Let's play basketball, I'll ask Ven, Hayner and the others to come along."

The idea of playing his favorite sport after a long time(two weeks) brought a smile to his face. Immediately, he got out of bed and changed into a jersey and a pair of shorts. "Alright man, I'll see you in five. We still playing at 42?"

"Of course we still are. See you then."

Roxas hastily prepared and grabbed his basketball. He headed out quickly, doing everything he can to avoid his parents. He'll have time to deal with them later. After a five minute walk, he reached the basketball court that brought back thousands of memories. The sight of the venue brought another smile to his face. He's been cooped up at home for far too long. Immediately, he sat his bag down and started to shoot some jumpers. Moments later, he heard some cheers.

"There he is!"

"Well, well, if it isn't BHK!"

"The main man Roxas is back home!"

At the sound of his friends, he smiled and turned to them. He walked over to them and gave each of them a hug.

"Good to see you man" Roxas mumbled as he embraced Ventus.

"Yeah, you too, bro."

"What about me? Show me some love dude" Hayner chimed in.

Roxas chuckled as he moved over to embrace Hayner. Afterwards, he went over to Sora and embraced him as well.

"I missed you, young blood" Sora affectionately told him.

"I missed you too man."

Roxas continued to greet his friends. After, Sora spoke up "Now let's play some ball y'all!"

Two teams of five, full-court, high-octane, action-packed showdown—there couldn't have been a more appropriate welcome party for young Roxas.

"Ball's up boys!"

"Let me get that!"

"Not if I get it first!"

"Nice one, Vanitas!"

"Yo, swing it over here!"

"Take the shot, young blood!"

"Oh yeah! That's a splash, brudda! And I shot it in your face!"

"Y'all ready for me to shut this kid up?"

"Let's go!"

About an hour and a half later, all ten of them were exhausted. They all sat on the nearby bench, drinking some Gatorade, exchanging stories, teasing the hell out of each other, et cetera. It didn't take long until the subject shifted to Roxas.

"Why don't we let Roxas do some talking, eh?" Vanitas suggested with a grin.

"Yeah!" echoed everyone else.

"Fine. Just ask me some questions" Roxas agreed.

"How's the lady life for Roxas Helterbrand in Stanford?" Vanitas started.

Roxas let out a genuine laugh "The lady life is non-existent for Roxas Helterbrand."

"What?!" Hayner almost shouted in disbelief "You still don't have a girlfriend? Come on man, you're getting older."

"Have you forgotten that I'm only seventeen?" Roxas retorted with a look of disbelief of his own.

"So what, man? You're an incoming junior and you haven't even gone on a date yet. Heck, you haven't even had your first kiss yet!"

"He has a point, Roxas. You won't be in college forever."

"Cut the young blood some slack, you guys. He's still pining for Naminé after all this time!" Sora interjected, which caused everyone, even Roxas, to burst out laughing.

"Oh man, Roxas was smitten over Naminé when he was still here with us!" Ventus exclaimed.

"No kidding man, you totally had the hots for her. I think everyone in EnLit knows about your crush on her" Pence added.

"Speaking of Naminé, how is she anyways?" Roxas asked.

"She's been great actually. I mean, she's been a cum laude ever since you left and she and Riku have been getting really close" Vanitas, who is Naminé's college blockmate, answered.

"Cum laude? Wow. Then again, she's always been smart. That's why I liked her in the first place" Roxas nonchalantly responded "Also, about Riku, I totally saw that coming. I told you guys, when I was still with you during the first semester, that Naminé and Riku are a perfect match. I also said that even if I had feelings for Naminé, I wouldn't mind if she and Riku got in a relationship. Heck, I even rooted for Riku to ask her out! Naminé would do so much better with Riku; he's one of the nicest guys I've ever met."

"Bullshit!" everyone shouted.

"I'm serious! I was never jealous when it came to Riku and Naminé. They have so much in common and will make the perfect couple" Roxas admitted with no reservations.

"Yeah, but not as perfect of a couple if you're the one who went out with her!" Sora retorted.

"Dude, everyone in EnLit was rooting for you and you didn't do shit!" Vanitas scolded.

"I wrote to her, remember?"

"But you didn't ask her out!"

"She wouldn't have said yes anyway."

"You don't know that!" Pence added.

"Face it you guys, I'm an asshole, and it's good that I didn't ask her out."

"Whatever man. You were classmates for two semesters/ten months and you've had a crush on her since the first semester began. Ten months passed by and you didn't even make an attempt to be friends with her!" Sora said.

"You know why I stayed away from her…" Roxas trailed "even she knows, I explained why when I wrote to her."

"To hell with that Xion girl and the past bro, you should've asked her out." Hayner declared "Hey, since it's summer and she's around, why not ask her out now?!"

"OH HELL YEAH!" everyone else cheered.

"Guys-" Roxas tried to speak.

"ASK HER OUT!"

"But-"

"ASK HER OUT!"

"I-"

"ASK HER OUT!"

"Dammit guys, stop!" the others laughed and obeyed "I can't ask her out…" Roxas trailed.

"Why?" Pence asked.

"Cause he's still a pussy" Vanitas snorted.

"I'm getting married."

Everyone fell silent. They couldn't believe it.

"Married?" Pence repeated.

"Psh, stop it, Rox. You've never even been in a relationship before" Vanitas countered.

Roxas shook his head and sighed. He had a lot of explaining to do.

After Roxas' explanation, everyone gave his own shocked, WTF-esque reaction.

"That's just tough, bro" Pence trailed.

"Damn, that's some shithole you got yourself into" Hayner added.

"Wait, so you're meeting this girl tonight?" Ven asked.

"That's right."

"When are you marrying this mystery girl again?" Vanitas inquired.

"Next summer."

"Do you even know anything about the girl?" Ven asked again.

"No. I think my parents would've told me something about her if I didn't ignore them for the entire week. I'm trying to understand what they did man, but I just can't digest it that quickly. I mean, marriage? This is my life we're talking about. And I'm about to throw my life away for the sake of father's job."

Sora rested a hand on the blond's shoulder "That's good that you're trying to understand, but it's also normal to behave the way you're behaving. I would probably do the same thing if I were you."

"Same."

"No doubt."

"Definitely."

"Alright, I've had enough of this. Why don't we just grab a bite, head to my house to play some Madden and NBA2k until Roxas leaves?" Ventus suggested.

"AYE!"

After a heavy lunch at the nearby McDonald's, the group went to Ventus' house. As expected, they played video games for the entire day. Roxas had so much fun; he couldn't remember the last time he felt so happy like how he did with his group of friends here. Unfortunately, the fun had to end. At around six in the afternoon, Roxas bade his friends farewell and went on to return to his dreaded home. He took his time in walking back; he wasn't at all excited about what's about to happen to him in a few hours.

When he arrived home, he went straight to his room. At the sight of his bed, he nearly exploded. He released an angry sigh and ran a hand through his spiky hair. There's really no stopping this. In his bed lay his attire for the evening. The fact that the outfit was the same one he wore during senior prom two years ago only angered him further. An outfit that reminded him of fun, enjoyable memories will now remind him of the moment that will eventually destroy his life. He shook his head and just went on with it.

He took a shower first before proceeding to dress. Once he was done, he stood in front of his mirror. He had to admit; he didn't look bad at all. For someone who's life is about to be thrown away, he looked pretty good. After slipping on a pair of brown dress shoes, he went outside to rest against their BMW in the driveway. Five minutes later, his parents emerged from the doorway. His father pressed a button to unlock the car doors, which Roxas was thankful for because he got to go in the car before his parents had a chance to talk to him. When he was inside, he pulled out his earphones and listened to some music the entire drive to the venue of the cursed dinner party.

He had been avoiding everything for so long; it's time to face this. He kept his earphones and when his father parked the car, he got out and straightened himself up.

"I'm really sorry, Son" his mother remarked, touching his arm.

He shook his mother's hand away and simply said nothing. His mother sighed before she walked ahead with his father. Roxas trailed his parents at a slow pace. Just because he has to face his doom tonight, doesn't mean he's in any rush to do so. When they were inside, a waiter/servant/whatever-you-want-to-call-him-because-the-place-is-too-damn-fancy-to-use-normal-words lead them to a table. They sat themselves down, then his father asked him to go along and get some food from the buffet. He didn't hesitate to relent this time.

He stood up and made his way to the buffet area. On his way, he saw a familiar-looking blonde standing in the corner of the room. He took a few steps to the left to get a better look at the said blonde's face. When he saw her face in the distance, his heart rate sped up. It was just like his freshman year in college all over again. The 'funny' feeling he always got when she was around returned. He knew he blushed at the mere sight of her. She looked absolutely gorgeous. Also, for the first time, she was wearing a dress. In the many times he'd seen her during their freshman year in college, either during class or lunch time, she always wore a loose shirt or polo, a pair of jeans and some heel-less sandals. He'd never seen her in a dress…EVER. She looked better than she did in his imagination. She's always been beautiful, but since she was a shirt-and-jeans girl, not a lot of boys were able to see that.

Roxas hesitated for a moment. Should he talk to her? Considering the last time they ever made contact, it doesn't sound like a good idea. But then again, she sounded like she understood why he did that…Roxas shook his head. To hell with it. He'll just say hi anyway. It's not like that's such a bad thing to do.

He took a deep breath and started to walk towards her direction. When he knew she was in earshot, he spoke.

"Naminé," he called out.

Naminé turned her head to look at him. When she saw who it was, she smiled meekly. "Roxas! Hi!"

Roxas smiled, his heart still beating erratically "Hey."

"Just got back? I heard you're in Stanford now."

"Yeah, I got back last week. Yes, I am" Roxas chuckled "Vanitas, I presume?"

"Yup"

An awkward silence passed between the two. Roxas cursed himself inwardly for being so…him. He hasn't seen this beautiful girl in a year and he still goes into 'Idiot Mode' (as his friends call it) whenever she's around. He slapped himself mentally. They were just…acquaintances…not even friends. Besides, she said that she "honestly can't say I feel the same", so it was time to put this childishness to rest. They were young adults, anyways. He should just be glad Naminé still has the courtesy to even talk to him.

"So what are you doing here?" he asked, trying to look casual but miserably failing.

Naminé must have noticed, because her smile widened by a fraction, causing Roxas' heart rate to speed up further. However, when she spoke, her expression dimmed, sadness evident in her face. "My parents brought me here to meet someone…you know, business stuff."

"Oh, I see. So have you met this "someone" already?"

Naminé frowned. "Not yet, actually. Mom and Dad told me he's were on his way ten minutes ago."

"Oh, I see. Must be really serious, huh?"

Naminé's frown deepened at this "Yeah…"

"Hey, you okay?" Roxas asked worriedly.

At an instant, Naminé replaced her frown with a small smile. "I am. Hey, I'm gonna have to go now. If I know my parents, they wouldn't want me to wander since this person I'm going to meet is on his/her way."

"Oh, okay…" Roxas trailed, trying to conceal his disappointment.

"Well, it was nice seeing you again, Roxas. I'll...see you around."

"Yeah, you too. See ya" Roxas weakly replied.

He honestly didn't know if Naminé _really_ had to go or if she just wanted to avoid him. Naminé wasn't exactly fond of him to begin with, especially after what he did before he left, so the former would be a plausible reason.

Naminé gave him one last weak smile then walked away. Roxas sighed and went on to grab a plate.

When he returned to his family's table, he didn't find his parents in the vicinity. He simply shrugged his shoulders and ate his dinner. A few minutes after finishing his meal, he felt a tap on his shoulder. He craned his neck and saw his father with a knowing look. He simply hid his anger. He sat down the napkin he was using to wipe his lips and got up. His father gave him a nod, which he delightfully ignored before he started to follow him.

It was short walk. Soon, his father stopped. This was it. His fate was about to be decided.

"Kiefer, good to see you!" his father exclaimed as he hugged a man as tall as him.

"Good to see you too, Devin! I'm glad you and your family made it here safely" the man named Kiefer greeted back with a smile.

Devin returned the smile (or fake smile?) before he turned to Roxas. "Speaking of family, this is him. Kiefer, I would like you to meet my son, Roxas. Roxas, this is Kiefer, a very close friend of mine."

Roxas put on his fake happy expression and smile then shook the outstretched hand in front of him. Also, he made sure to look Kiefer in the eye as he shook hands with him.

"Ah, it's good to meet you, Roxas! I am Kiefer Blakewood, one of your father's long-time friends. "

"Likewise, sir. I'm Roxas; Roxas Isaac Helterbrand" Roxas curtly replied.

"Some handsome fellow your son is, Devin" Kiefer complimented "I'm sure my daughter will grow fond of him."

At this, both Devin and Roxas chuckled (Roxas' a little less enthusiastic of course). Before Devin could retort, he heard a female voice interrupt.

"Hi, honey!" a female voice exclaimed.

"There you are! Where's our daughter?"

"She just went to the comfort room"

"Nicole! Long time no see!" Devin interjected. The woman named Nicole squealed and gave Devin a friendly hug.

"How've you been, Devin?" Nicole asked politely "glad to see you well and all."

Devin released another chuckle "same, same. Oh, Nicole, I would like you to meet my son, Roxas. Roxas, this is Nicole. Nicole, Roxas"

"Hello, Ma'am" Roxas greeted politely as he extended a hand towards her.

A look passed between Nicole and Devin. A second later, Nicole's lips broke into a huge grin and her eyes started shining with…pride? Happiness? Relief? Instead of shaking Roxas' hand, Nicole gave him a kiss on the cheek that was almost…motherly.

"Pleased to meet you! What a handsome young man!" Nicole exclaimed, causing Roxas to almost scratch the back of his head in embarrassment. "Mitchelle, you never told me how dashing your son is!" He looked to the side and saw that his mother just arrived to join the conversation.

"But of course, I thought you already expected our son to be so good-looking!" Mitchelle joked, earning a laugh from everyone except Roxas.

While this was going on, Roxas turned his face away from everyone. He wanted to delay this as soon as possible, as pathetic as it seemed. The conversation of the adults around him was slurred around him; all he thought about was how he was going to deal with all this. A tap on his shoulder derailed his train of thought.

"Let's have no further delays, shall we? Roxas, my boy, I would like you to meet my daughter" Kiefer declared with a smile.

Roxas swore that he heard a shocked gasp nearby.

Oh well.

Roxas sighed before he turned his gaze upwards. If this summer wasn't full of surprises, it is now.

When Roxas locked gazes with the said daughter, he found the same shell-shocked, what-the-fuck, look in them.

"Roxas, this is Naminé Claire Blakewood, our youngest daughter and soon-to-be heiress to our corporate assets. She is an incoming junior in college and is taking up both interdisciplinary studies and business management in the University of Kentucky. I hope you two get along just fine" Kiefer announced.

"Roxas, Son," his mother started. She said the words that just fucked up his life even more.

"She's your fiance"

Well shit.

**A/N: So there it is! Roxas' fiance is non-other than ****Namin****é! I apologize if everything seems so rushed; I just can't seem to stop typing when my fingers touched the keyboard. I'm actually really excited about this story and I'll start working on the next chapter in a few hours. Please continue to review, favorite or follow, it means a lot! Also, the next chapter will focus on how Roxas starts to 'repair' his relationship with ****Namin****é. As the story progresses, whatever transpired between the two blond/es will be made clear, especially in the next chapter. Thanks for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3: The Nightmares Return

**A/N: Hello everyone, I'm back with another update! I must admit, I haven't updated a story this frequently. It's because I've never been more…inspired before I came up with this fic. Big thanks to users GameLord 4BritishBronies, KnightVnox and relena soulheart for labeling this story as a favorite, to users GameLord 4BritishBronies, KnightVnox, Lightning Shock, MaddieQueen, and relena soulheart for following and to users ventus535 and Ana for reviewing! I really appreciate it, you guys, please keep it up! Seeing more reviews, favorites and follows only makes me want to update faster XD. So, in this chapter, we continue with what happens after Roxas finally 'meets' his fiancé, how his friends 'help' him cope with his emotions and a reappearance of something that haunts Roxas. Please, continue to review (especially review so I could have a good idea on what you guys like/dislike), favorite and follow. Happy reading!**

"She's your fiancé"

Those three words kept ringing in Roxas' ears. Without exaggeration, about two minutes of awkward silence passed. No one knew what to say, what to do. The four parents were actually nervous, anxious even, to await the reactions of their respective children. While both their children on the other hand, were paralyzed with shock, especially Roxas. The silence was broken by Roxas' mother, Mitchelle.

She started with a cough before speaking. "Um, why don't we leave you two young adults to get acquainted with each other? You'll be spending a lot of time together this summer anyway" Mitchelle said in the most enthusiastic tone she could muster.

"Great idea! Well Naminé, Roxas, we'll see you both later" Nicole, Naminé's mother added. The group of parents went off on their own after, leaving Naminé and Roxas alone in the corner. Another minute of silence passed. Things were getting awkward out of proportion. Things got so awkward that the people around them started to stare. Roxas smacked himself; he forgot that he was in a dinner party…they weren't the only ones here. He had to deal with this whole thing with Naminé too, so he decided to ask her to go someplace else, where not a lot of people would be around just in case things take a major turn for the worst.

"H-hey, would you mind going outside? There are so many people in here…" Roxas trailed shyly, half-expecting Naminé to simply scoff and slap him in the face.

To his surprise, Naminé just gave a little nod. Roxas sighed in relief before he led the way outside the compound. Fortunately for the two young adults, there was a park right outside of the venue. Thinking this was the best place, Roxas walked with Naminé to the park and sat on a bench. To his disappointment, Naminé sat a little too far from him. He shook his head. Of course she'd be upset.

"Naminé…I'm so sorry…it's just…I know this isn't how you want your life to be at all, being forced into a marriage with someone you barely know and all. Don't worry, I'll try to talk to my parents about this. I'll make sure this whole thing doesn't push through. We both-"

"Don't even bother" Naminé cut him off in an annoyed, frustrated tone "no matter what you say or do, there's no changing what's about to happen. Don't be stupid, Roxas" Naminé fumed.

Roxas immediately clamped his mouth shut. Naminé's words undoubtedly stung, but she was right; he was being stupid. It's not like the words of a mere college student like him would convince a bunch of businessmen who have already slammed the hammers down.

"Stop trying to fix everything. We both know you're powerless in this situation" Naminé added, for good measure.

"I'm sorry…" Roxas started, but was cut off by an already angry Naminé.

"Stop apologizing for everything, dammit! You keep saying you're sorry even if you didn't have a single damn to do with all this! You keep trying to understand and help me; well guess what, I'm not a child! I don't need your sympathy! So don't even try! Or are you apologizing because you feel guilty?"

At this, Roxas grew weary. "W-what?" Roxas stuttered.

"Don't act innocent, damn you!" Naminé screeched as her anger continued to rise "you call yourself an asshole, then you act as if you're the nicest guy on the block! Fishing for compliments?! Huh?! I never knew you could stoop so low, Roxas" Naminé spat out venomously. "When will the lying end, Roxas, when?! You keep pretending about everything, how do you expect me to react?! Like I said, for all I know, it could've been you and not our parents who are REALLY behind this arranged marriage thing" Naminé stood from her seat, her face hidden from Roxas' view "you better stop the lying. I can't take this anymore. Why do you lie? Is it because you're trying to be a hero, or because you're just an utter asshole? Just stop with all the pretending. Isn't this what you want anyway—this marriage? You disgust me." Naminé walked away afterwards.

Roxas' world was frozen. Her words cut through him like knives, mercilessly piercing his skin and his soul. He closed his eyes. The tears were starting to form. No. He won't cry over this. He reached up and wiped his eyes frantically. Wow. He never thought a mere girl's words would make him cry ever again. He tried to compose himself. He kept telling himself that he could handle this. But he couldn't. Naminé was right. He's so stupid.

For some reason, Naminé's words hurt a lot more than it should have. Yes, he had feelings (or at least he thinks so) for her before, but that shouldn't mean anything major. Was it that, or was it because everything she said was true? But he didn't meant for him to sound like that when he told her those things. It appears that won't matter, because she's pissed as hell. Her anger earlier wasn't fake at all and everything she said, she surely meant it. Naminé was that type of girl. She's blunt and honest, never afraid to speak her mind. Now, he's starting to learn that the hard way.

Still, he couldn't believe everything he just heard. He was shaken up. He only stared into the distance for the next ten minutes or so, still recovering from the shock the sweet girl he thought he knew inflicted upon him. Why did she just spit out all those words in his face? Why could she ever think _he_ had something to do with the whole arranged marriage issue? Does she really hate him that much? Is she _that_ disgusted of him? No, it couldn't be that. Naminé's one of the nicest people he knows. Then again, they weren't really close at all, so his perception of Naminé could be, for all he knows, the exact opposite of who she really is. But Roxas had a feeling it wasn't about her hating him. Then it hit him. Maybe she's upset because she won't be able to be with Riku anymore. Now it all makes sense. His friends did hint to Riku and Naminé dating, so it won't be ridiculous to say Naminé's upset with him because she won't be with her legitimate boyfriend anymore. But still, that doesn't give her the right to do what she just did to him.

Roxas shook his head. He had enough of the guessing and thinking. It's better to talk to people who actually know Naminé if he wants some information regarding her. He pulled out his phone and dialed Ventus' number.

A few rings later, Ventus picked up. "Yo, Roxas! Whattup, man?"

Roxas ignored the greeting, jumping straight to the point, his tone cold "Is everyone still there in your house?"

Ventus did not fail to catch the sadness in his friend's voice, but decided to not speak to him about it until later. "No man, sorry. It's just Vanitas, Sora and myself here."

"Good. Can I sleep over?"

"For sure man. What happened?"

"I'll tell you when I get there."

"Okay then. You take care. I'll see you in a bit."

"Yeah."

Roxas hung up and sighed. He sent a text message to his parents, letting them know he's sleeping over Ven's house for the night. Afterwards, he called a cab and rode home. When he got home, he pulled out his bag, stuffed it with some clothes and a pair of sneakers, changed clothes, then went to Ven's house. Around five minutes later, he arrived and knocked on Ven's door."

"Hey dude" Ven greeted with a smile after opening the door, his hand still resting on the knob.

"Hey."

"Let's go" Ven said as he stood aside, making way for Roxas.

Roxas entered and went straight to Ven's room, where he found a Vanitas who looked pissed and a Sora who was laughing his ass off.

"Oh man, you totally ate my claymore for dinner!" Sora exclaimed as he continued to laugh uncontrollably.

Vanitas scowled and punched the laughing brunet on the shoulder, which caused the latter to whimper in pain. "Shut up!"

"Don't be such a spoil sport!" Sora said with his tongue out.

"Come on, let's play another round. This time, I'll whoop your ass!"

"Fine! We'll see who-hey Roxas!" Sora greeted cheerfully, oblivious to the said blond's woes.

Roxas only grunted in acknowledgement as he sat his bag down on the corner of the room. He walked over to the bed and just plopped down face first on the mattress.

"Didn't expect you'd return here today, Roxas. What happened?" Vanitas asked concernedly.

"Yeah, how was the dinner party?" Sora added. Again, Roxas just grunted in reply. This didn't stop Sora from asking though. "So…did you get to meet your fiance? Who is she? Is she hot?" Sora continued asking.

Before Roxas could open his mouth, the door opened, revealing Ventus with a large bowl of popcorn in hand.

"Give the guy a break, you two. He just got here and you're already bombarding him with questions" Ven chided, sitting on the bed beside Roxas.

Vanitas and Sora paused their video game and hopped on the bed as well. Sora grabbed a popcorn and chucked it in his mouth. Vanitas followed, then Ventus, but Roxas didn't move a muscle. Slowly, Roxas sat up and faced his three friends.

"You ready?" Ven asked, as he rested a hand (not the one he used to eat popcorn) on Roxas' shoulder.

"What's wrong, Roxas?" Vanitas asked again.

Roxas took a deep sigh. This was going to be one long explanation.

"Wow" Ventus, Vanitas and Sora said in reaction to Roxas' story.

"You know," Roxas started, his voice noticeably cracking "I'm trying so hard to not let her words affect me. I'm trying so hard to remain indifferent…but this shit concerns my life. I can't be indifferent, even if I want to. I offered to try and talk to my parents about rethinking this arrangement and she responds like…that. You know how she is to me, you all know…she isn't just some girl in the past…I actually FELT something for her…she's only the second girl I've ever met that has actually made me feel something."

"You don't have to explain, Roxas, we understand" Sora clarified, patting Roxas on the shoulder.

"Why does she insist that I'm lying? That I'm pretending? That somehow, I have something to do with us being arranged into marriage? Doesn't she know that I ACTUALLY WANT Riku and her to end up together?" Roxas reasoned.

Vanitas and Ventus exchanged a look. "Actually, that's what's got me wondering too. Why would Naminé, of all people, say those things to Roxas?" Vanitas said.

"When I was still in Kentucky with you guys, we didn't talk enough for her to even say those things to me" Roxas added.

"Maybe it's not what you said, but something you did?" Sora guessed.

"I didn't do anything that involved her except writing her that letter before I left, so I don't think so" Roxas countered.

"What _did_ you say in the letter?" Vanitas asked this time.

"I just thanked her and apologized"

"Is that it?"

"Yeah"

"I don't think so Naminé's been a friend of mine for quite some time. Trust me when I say she won't say those things if none of them were true in her point of view" Vanitas stated firmly.

"Wait, Roxas, wasn't there a part in that letter where you labeled yourself an asshole which was one of the reasons as to why you didn't go after her?"

"Yeah, what about that?"

"Maybe that's what she's hinting to"

Roxas was taken aback. "But why? I wasn't pretending. I AM an asshole. Even you three could attest to that"

"Yeah you are, but you don't exactly act like one when you're around her. You're always so uptight when she's in the vicinity. You become extra nice, extra caring and extra understanding."

Roxas thought about Ven's words. He did remember vividly convincing Naminé (via the letter he sent her before freshman year ended of course) that he was an asshole, using that as a reason as to why he didn't make a move on her—because she deserves so much better.

"But how is that pretending? How does that count as lying?" Roxas reiterated.

"Like I said, it's because of the attitude you showed her before."

"But she knows that I'm an asshole. She always sees me with you guys, doesn't she?"

"Yeah, but that's not enough" Vanitas interjected "Ven's right. If you talked to her a lot more than you did, she would've believed you without question. But since you did everything you could to ignore her, of course she won't have any idea as to who you really are. I think I'm starting to understand why she said those things to you."

Roxas frowned. "Oh yeah? Then how do you explain the whole "fishing for compliments" thing?"

"Let me give you an example then. Imagine if I'm the humblest person you ever know, then one day, I come up to you and say that I'm the most ignorant, boastful son of a bitch on the face of the planet. What would you tell me afterwards?" Ventus explained and asked.

"I would tell you how wrong you are and how stupid it is that you even think of yourself like that" Roxas answered innocently.

"Bingo" Vanitas said with a chuckle. Sora released a "hm" in agreement and Ventus raised his eyebrows, his expression saying it all.

"You finally understand why?" Ventus asked again.

Slowly but surely, Roxas realized the possibility behind Ventus' point. Now he understood why Naminé thought he was "fishing for compliments". "But that's not what I was trying to do…" Roxas trailed, sighing in frustration.

"But she doesn't know that; because she doesn't know you well enough. If you didn't ignore her that entire school year, she wouldn't have thought of you like that" Vanitas reiterated.

"So in short, all of this is my fault?" Roxas questioned, trying to control his tone.

"It's not really your _fault, _but you have something to do with it" Ventus reasoned.

"On one hand, Naminé has VALID reasons for talking you down like that. We're just trying to explain those reasons to you…well, possible reasons, that is" Vanitas added.

"We know how you are, Roxas. You always ask 'why?', we're just providing a potential answer for you" Ventus finished.

A moment of silenced passed. Roxas simply sighed and buried his face back into the mattress. Instead of feeling better about talking to his friends, he honestly felt worse. It's as if his friends further rubbed in Naminé's words from earlier. All of the sudden, he just wanted to leave. He stood up and walked over to the corner where he dropped his bag. He changed and laced up his sneakers.

"I'm out. I'll take this if you don't mind" Roxas said as he grabbed Ventus' basketball before exiting the room.

His mind was clouded. He knew his friends meant well, but he's just having one of those days. He's simply in his 'asshole mode' right now, which means no one is reasonable but him and him only. He hated himself when he was like this. A short walk later, he arrived at the basketball court he and friends played at earlier. He walked over to the left wing of the court.

He sighed. He needed to let off some steam.

So he tossed the ball forward. When it bounced, he sprinted towards the basket, his legs beginning to generate an insane amount of force. When he reached a certain spot, he jumped while turning his body in a clockwise direction. At 180 degrees (his back was facing the basket at this point), he grabbed the ball with his right hand, then proceeded to transfer the ball from his right to his left hand, the ball passing between his legs. By the time the ball was cradled in his left hand, he was already facing the basket, completing a 360-degree turn. As soon as he saw the basket, he threw the ball down as hard as he could, shaking the whole ring as a result.

He landed on his feet, his eyes closed. Normally, he would've smiled after a dunk like that. Not only was it dunk-contest-worthy, but it dunking usually releases the anger and frustration he feels. This time though, the frustration remained, refusing to be shooed away even by the most powerful, painful of rim-shakers.

"Now I understand why don't even entertain the thought of being in a relationship after all these years" a voice declared.

Roxas sighed. "Hm. Good to know" he responded curtly, before picking the ball back up and walking over to the free-throw line. He did his routine and shot a free-throw.

Sora walked forward, picked up the ball and passed it back to Roxas. "You do know, Ven and Van mean well, right?"

Roxas simply continued with his routine. "Yeah, I know that. I'm just having a horrible week, man. I hate making excuses, you all know that, but it's just so hard to be a nice guy at a time like this. At home, I feel so suffocated. My parents keep breathing down my neck with all these details about my dreaded 'marriage', if the damn thing even passes as a marriage. With you guys, I was having fun, until Ventus and Vanitas just unintentionally helped me realize how much of a dick I was being to Naminé. I hate to say this, but those two only made me feel worse" Roxas finished as he shot the free-throw.

"Well," Sora started, passing the ball back to Roxas "I understand how you feel. That's why I wasn't really talking that much earlier. Oh, and sorry for pestering you when you first entered the room. I was just really worried."

"It's no problem, man. I appreciate your concern" Roxas admitted with a smile. "On one hand, Ventus and Vanitas did help me understand why Naminé said what she did. Although why would she think I would even do something like arrange a marriage for us? I know I was a pussy for not asking her out but damn, why would I even think about marrying her?"

"I dunno" Sora said with a shrug "maybe she was just caught up in her emotions. You know how paranoid people can be. We've all been there. Don't try to analyze everything, Roxas. You'll only dig yourself in a deeper hole" Sora advised.

"I guess so. I'll keep that in mind and if I can, I'll live by that" Roxas sighed again "I'm sorry man, I'm just really having the worst day of my life. That's not even an exaggeration."

"You don't have to explain anything to me man. Like I said; I understand"

"Thanks"

"Hey, look on the bright side. You could've been engaged to a woman WAY older than you. Instead, you're engaged to a woman who's your age, as smart as you are and is as good as socializing"

"I know that, but I just can't be glad about anything. Sure, I knew the girl I'm engaged to prior to all this but after what she just did, I'll bet my entire college fund that shit's just going to continue to go downhill for us."

"Mhm, you have a point"

After that, the two remained silent for the next ten minutes or so, Roxas shooting his free throws and Sora passing him the ball. Eventually, Roxas got bored and the two played a one-on-one match to infinity. The two went at it for a good couple of hours, both just shooting all kinds of shots, doing all sorts of dribble moves, etc. By the end of their match, both were dog-tired. Both took a few minutes to relax, the only sound audible was their panting. When they were able to compose themselves, Roxas surprised Sora by saying something the latter did not fully expect.

"You know, I thought this was going to be easier; with me having feelings towards the girl I'm getting married to and all "Roxas admitted solemnly "turns out, shit just got a lot more complicated"

Sora simply rested a hand on the blond's shoulder, not trusting his big mouth to comfort his friend.

"Sure, I've always wanted her to be my girlfriend, but my wife? Never. Much more having her as my wife with me forcing myself upon her. I would rather kill myself than do something like that" Roxas continued. Sora simply continued to pat his shoulder.

A few moments later, Roxas straightened up and faced Sora. "We better to head back. Sorry for keeping you awake all this time. It's around three in the morning already."

"It's no problem, dude. Yeah, sure, let's go."

The two headed back to Ven's house and went straight to Ven's room. Ventus and Vanitas were already asleep on the bed, so the two settled for the couch. The two changed shirts first then plopped down. Sora lay on the right side while Roxas lay on the left. Sora fell asleep immediately, while Roxas stared at the ceiling for a couple of minutes before passing out.

_The sound of birds chirping filled the air. A million sunlight rays penetrated the white-curtain-shielded window panes and illuminated the room, making it look heavenly. There were bookshelves around the room, all filled with texts of pure knowledge. In the middle of the room, there was a table, with two chairs on each side. _

_On the two chairs, sat two blonds—one woman, one man. The woman wore a baby blue-colored polo, its sleeves rolled up, a pair of dark blue jeans and a pair of sandals. She appeared to be reading a novel. A content smile was plastered on her lips. From a distance, she looked like the happiest woman in the world. Across her was a blond male. He wore a gray shirt, a pair of black jeans and a pair of gray sneakers. He appeared to be reading an essay by Wayne Booth. There was a rare smile on his face. Like the woman in front of him, he seemed very happy .Both were reading in silence, the man's left hand held the woman's right hand in the middle of the table. The other hands of both rested on the materials they were reading. _

_The man looked up from his reading material to gaze at the woman in front of him. She was so beautiful. He loved her relaxed expression and the tiny smile that graced her lips. He couldn't believe how blessed he was to have her in his life. Before he could do anything stupid like blurt out some cheesy words, he turned his gaze back to his essay. _

_Moments later, he heard the sound of a chair sliding backwards against the floor. He did not dare look up, but a smile formed on his lips. He felt the owner of the hand he was holding walk over to his side. He slowly looked up and found the blonde woman who was sitting across him earlier beside him. He made some space for her, then gingerly she sat on his lap. Their hands remained intertwined. _

_Once she was settled, the woman smiled at him. He smiled back stupidly. She giggled in response. When her laughter died down, both of them just stared at each other. Slowly, he reached for her other hand and rested it on his cheek. To follow, the woman removed her other hand (the one that was intertwined with his) from his grasp and rested it on the back of his neck. The man's smile broadened, then he grabbed the hand that was on the back of his neck and kissed it softly._

_This time, the woman's smile also widened. She smiled again, showing her perfectly white teeth. The man's heartbeat quickened. He felt as if he was ready to die of suffocation. He kissed her hand again. This time, though, he felt a hard material on it. He pulled it back to see what it was. It was a gold ring, beautifully crafted, a perfect fit on her ring finger. The light rays that penetrated the room made it shine bright, like a diamond in itself. For some reason, the man smiled. This felt so right. _

_The man caught glimpse of a shiny object on his own ring finger in his left hand. He turned his gaze towards it and found a matching gold ring. His smile widened again. This felt even more right._

_He felt a hand cup his chin and he was suddenly gazing into the blue eyes of the woman on his lap. The bubbly feeling inside of him grew stronger to a point where he was scared it would consume him. But then again, he wouldn't mind._

_The woman continued to smile at him. She rested her hand on his cheek again._

"_I love you" she whispered._

_His heart swelled with pride and joy. No other words mattered to him than the ones she just said to him._

"_I love you too" he whispered back in reply._

_Her already radiant expression brightened further. Slowly, she leaned in and closed her eyes._

_For some reason, a strange force seemed to force the blond man's eyes close as well. He did not fight it, not when the girl of his dreams was right in front of him. He leaned in as well. Their lips almost connected…_

Roxas shot straight up. He was frantic. His eyes scanned the room, desperately looking for anything that would resemble the room he swear he was in a few seconds ago. A few minutes later, he realized he was still in Ventus' room. He continued to scan the room. The sun was already up, for light rays were scattered around the room. His breathing did not return to normal, he kept panting frighteningly hard.

He closed his eyes, trying to rid himself of the images his vile mind forced himself to see. In the end, he couldn't. The images, the environment, _the feelings_…they were all so powerful. He whimpered, cursing himself for being so vulnerable. He called himself a sissy. How could he be affected like this by something that's not real? Then he remembered…

The worst kind of pain is seeing yourself obtain something you've always wanted, only to find out it's not real.

A tear slipped down his cheek.

One, because he knew he'll never have what he just saw himself have.

And two…

The nightmares…they have returned…

**A/N: So there you have it! This is the longest chapter I've written for this story so far simply because I'm in my 'writing groove' (it also helps that Ana, one of those who reviewed complained about the chapters being short XD). Remember what I mentioned in the first chapter about this whole fic being partially based on my personal experiences? Obviously, I can't dunk like how Roxas did in this chapter, but I do play basketball. Second, is the presence of the nightmare(s). I get them frequently, usually about having something I know I'll never have in real life. I figured that would be an interesting element to incorporate in the story. If the plot moves slow, I apologize, I just want to mention certain details (i.e. making the nightmare vivid as to help you readers understand why Roxas cried) that'll give a better feel for the story. Please, review, favorite and follow, like I said, it helps me keep going! Have a good day! **


	4. Chapter 4: Starting To Understand

**A/N: Hello everyone, I'm back! I apologize; it's been two weeks since I updated(I think). I'm really sorry! I've been dealing with a lot over the past two weeks; my father just celebrated his birthday and there were family events across the country, hence I wasn't able to finish this chapter as fast as I usually do. Here's a 7200-word chapter to make it up to you guys! Oh and thank you to those who followed and favorited (users Methodadrian, quatrohockey and IGSP) and user Ana for reviewing! I really appreciate it! Anyways, in this chapter, a lot of details are revealed about the marriage, Roxas' EnLit section and Namin****é family. Some of Roxas' questions are also answered here. Also, I'm not exactly good with geography, hence the names of the bar (spoilers), ****Namin****é's street and other places are fictional, not real. Also, I'm not a hundred percent sure about the courses in Stanford and Kentucky, I'm just making stuff up too! XD Please don't forget to review/follow/favorite, it inspires me to write more! Happy reading!**

**Review response:**

**Ana: I'm glad you like Roxas, Sora, Ventus and Vanitas bonding like brothers! It kinda reflects on how I personally am with three friends of mine XD. No, ****Namin****é NEVER liked Roxas. I already hinted on that in chapter 2 when I wrote about ****Namin****é telling Roxas that she "honestly can't say I feel the same". That happened after Roxas wrote her the letter I keep mentioning years ago (in this story's time) during when they were still classmates. I will keep dropping certain parts of what Roxas wrote in the letter and in the later chapters, I'll reveal what the letter as a whole served as. You'll have to wait on that XD. In this story, right now, only Roxas likes ****Namin****é; his feelings are not returned. About Ventus and Vanitas' explanations being not enough, that was kind of the idea. I wrote that only to portray how concerned Vanitas and Ventus were to try and give Roxas an explanation. I didn't say that was the ACTUAL explanation. Because in this story, Roxas is the type of guy who keeps looking for reasons behind what happens, the hypothetical explanation was written to convey this. Roxas' dream was a nightmare in a sense that because he likes ****Namin****é and ****Namin****é is furious with him, seeing himself with her hurts him. He and ****Namin****é are in a mess right now, so seeing himself with her is obviously an illusion.**** Seeing that illusion, with him still having feelings for her, hurts him. Because he thinks he'll never have what he has with the ****Namin****é in his dream with the ****Namin****é in real life. That's why the dream becomes a nightmare, a.k.a. an unpleasant dream. Thank you so much for reviewing!**

**IGSP: I appreciate it! Here's a wordy chapter for you. Thank you for reviewing! **

**On to the story…**

Tears streamed down his cheeks. He didn't bother to try and hide it. He was crying. Even if he looked so stupid, he didn't care. He figured the reappearance of a nightmare he saw two years ago was a good enough reason to soften up.

He cradled his face in his hands. He was so pathetic. He can't do anything about his situation. The only thing worse than finding out someone like him is getting married is finding out the girl he's getting married to despises him for being such a cock-block.

He needed to get out of here.

He stood up, grabbed his bag and left the house. He walked back home, taking his time in doing so. He used his key to open the front door and went straight to his room. His parents, as he figured, must still be asleep. He locked the door then just plopped down bed.

He didn't leave his room for a couple of days.

It was Wednesday when his phone rang. He lazily reached for the ringing device, not finding the energy to even sit up to get it. He dejectedly placed the phone beside his ear, not even bothering to find out who it was.

"Hello?" he answered hollowly.

"Hey, Roxas! It's me, Serah! I heard you're back in town"

"Yeah" Roxas simply responded.

"Anyways, you got time later? Wanna come with us to XIII?"

"Us?"

"The usuals from our EnLit block. I figured you wanna hang out with some of them. They're really excited to see you" Serah semi-pleaded.

"The usuals?" Roxas repeated.

He could feel Serah roll her eyes on the other line "Ventus, Vanitas, Sora, Terra, Hayner, Aqua, Olette, Selphie, Aerith and myself"

Roxas thought about it. He had already simmered down from the frustration he felt towards Ventus and Vanitas. He realized he should just be thankful he has friends who stick it up for him. Also, he missed everyone in EnLit.

"Sure, I'll be there"

"Excellent!" Serah said excitedly "We'll be there at around 7. See ya later!"

"Yeah, see ya"

Roxas got out of bed and went downstairs. He went over to the fridge and grabbed every edible thing he saw. Since he was going to the bar with his EnLit blockmates, given Vanitas, Ventus and Sora were there, it's going to be one hell of a drinking session. It's also summer, which means nothing's stopping them from getting hammered. So he better put some food in his system because he's going to be bloated with alcohol in a few hours.

Roxas ate himself through a meal for around four people. It wasn't until he greedily ate that he realized how hungry he was. The fact that he was kind of depressed also helped in making food taste better. After stuffing himself, he went back to his room to do some lifting. He lifted for a good hour, just lifting his cares away for as much as he could. When he finished, he took a shower and slept.

He woke up hours later. When he checked his phone to see the time, his eyes widened. It was already 7:45. He got out of bed quickly and dressed. He wore a red polo, black jeans and his all-red Jordan IVs(toro bravos). He grabbed his wallet and rushed to the club. It was a ten minute walk, so he arrived at around 8 pm already, an hour after the designated time. He had some serious apologizing to do.

When he entered the club, he surveyed the area for his friends. After some searching, he found them on the far side of the area. He approached them slowly, for it seemed like there was something going on. Everyone was either laughing or smiling like an idiot. He could see Serah trying to wipe her eyes from laughing. He smiled; must've been Vanitas with his jokes again. Suddenly, everyone on the table raised his/her glass and drank, some of them still trying to control their laughter. He made their way to them, Terra was the first to notice him.

"Woah, is that Roxas?!" Terra almost shouted. Everyone in the table turned to look at Roxas.

"ROXAS!" most of them shouted in glee.

Roxas cringed. That kinda hurt. Nonetheless, he gave his friends a smile. Some of them stood up and walked over to hug him. He returned all of their hugs, even if he almost suffocated from all of them. When the hug fest was over, he sat between Vanitas and Sora. For some reason, when his butt landed on the seat, Vanitas rested a hand on his shoulder and gave him a sad look. He furrowed his eyebrows. Before he could open his mouth to ask what's up, Sora leaned in his ear.

"Five seats to your left" Sora whispered.

Roxas counted five seats to his left. When his eyes landed on the person on the said seat, his mood was dampened and his heart rate quickened. Seriously? Life's just having fun on his expense right now. Before he could even see how she looked like, he averted his gaze. He didn't need to stare at anything right now.

"You've gotta be FUCKING kidding me" Roxas said under his breath.

"Sorry dude, we didn't know she was going to show up tonight" Sora apologized. Roxas simply shook his head.

"Since he just got here, NEXT ROUND'S ON ROXAS!" Selphie exclaimed.

Roxas cringed again, but smiled "Fine, whatever, it's for you guys anyway" everyone "awwed" in response. Roxas raised a finger, getting a waiter's attention. He gestured for another round of drinks to be served under his 'tab'. The waiter simply nodded and walked off.

"So, how's the life of one Roxas Helterbrand?" Selphie asked, batting her eyelashes.

Roxas chuckled "Meh, same old same old"

"Please tell me you've already dated a girl" Terra chimed in.

Roxas inwardly grimaced. He remembered Terra had no clue as to what kind of situation he was in. Deciding to not ruin the evening, Roxas played along. He smiled first before speaking. "Sorry to burst your bubble, but no, I still haven't. School's killing me, man"

"What are you taking up again, Roxas?" Olette kindly asked.

"Computer Science and Economics" Roxas replied curtly.

"Wow, double degree?" Aqua butted in.

"Yeah" almost everyone on the table gasped in amazement. Roxas was quite disturbed with their reaction. "Come on you guys, you'll probably do better than me if you were there"

"We appreciate your humility, but there's a reason why we're not in Stanford and you are" Serah shot back.

"Nah, you guys haven't even tried to apply for Stanford yet. You'll be surprised how good you'll all do there"

Roxas was interrupted when a waiter came over and placed down a shot glass of vodka in front of every person on the gang's table. Everyone grabbed his/her glass and raised it. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see _her_ raising her glass, her cheeks tinted red and a dizzy expression on her face. Oh no. Was she drunk? She IS pale, so it shouldn't be too hard to tell. But then again, it is hot in the place. Roxas simply shook his head. She's old enough to take care of herself. Besides, she's Naminé—Naminé NEVER gets drunk. She shouldn't even be here let alone drinking.

"To section 23's EnLit drinking squad" Roxas jokingly declared.

"Aye!" everyone else shouted back before drinking.

When he sat his glass down, Roxas shivered. Even if he drank just a week ago, the alcohol did not fail to make him feel as if it's the first he's had in months.

"Damn, that was one SOLID drink" Terra choked out.

"No shit bro" Sora cheekily added, earning a laugh from everyone. Naminé in particular, laughed harder than she should have.

"Woah, Nam, you okay?" Selphie asked.

"Yeah" Naminé hiccuped with a stupid smile on her lips.

"You sure?" Terra chuckled "how many shots have you had so far?"

"I think" she hiccuped again "I've had twelve?"

"Wow. I never knew you had it in you, Nam!" Selphie squealed in shock.

Naminé let out a chuckle "Now I understand why people drink away their problems…" she trailed, before letting out another giggle. Roxas frowned. Instantly, he felt guilty. This was all his fault.

"Mhm, someone's getting profound…" Olette trailed.

Naminé continued to giggle like she was crazy "I'm serious! I finally understand. I'm just so grateful for the alcohol. To the person who treated us the vodka shots we just had, thank you so much!" she almost screamed, making some of them laugh.

"Actually, it was Rox-" Terra spoke.

"Hey guys, I'mma step outside for a smoke. Be back in five" Roxas remarked. As soon as he breathed out the last syllable he immediately stood up and left the place. He leaned against the stoplight pole nearby and deeply sighed.

"Tough break, man" the blond looked up and saw Sora leaning beside him. Roxas watched as the brunet placed a cigarette on his lips and lit it. After taking his first hit, Sora pulled out a box of cigarettes and handed it to Roxas, who gratefully accepted.

Sora handed Roxas a lighter when the cigarette was on the later's lips. Roxas took a hit and closed his eyes as he exhaled, breathing out the smoke. Talk about relaxing.

"This is the first one I've had since three months ago" Roxas declared, taking another hit.

"No shit?" Sora asked rhetorically as he also took a hit "three months is a long-ass time."

"For sure"

A minute of silence passed. The two good friends simply kept taking hits on their cigarettes and enjoyed the silence. Eventually, Roxas broke it.

"She spoke as if I didn't exist, thanking the 'person who treated everyone to a shot of vodka'" Roxas said sadly.

"I know…I know…" were the only words Sora could manage to say.

"Not only that, but she mentioned in front of everyone, mind you, that she has _problems_, hence she's drinking like she's never had before. Why do I feel like this is all my fault?"

"Because you care about her" Sora answered back with a ghost of a smile on his lips. He glanced at his blond friend, who currently looked miserable. His smile widened.

"She knows that I do yet she still does this" Roxas said as he rolled his eyes "now I understand what Vanitas was saying about her having the tools to be a complete bitch"

Sora chuckled "even if you know that she knows you care, you still care. May I ask why?"

Roxas sighed "Sora, I love you, you're like family to me, but I'm gonna fucking lay you out if you don't shut up"

Sora held his hands up defensively "I didn't mean to stress you out, bro. I'm just trying to see if you've already realized what's happening to you"

Roxas rolled his eyes again "Sora, that's so stupid. I was with you a couple of days and you know how fucking confused I am" he said frustratingly.

"Yeah, but it's been a couple of days. Knowing you, you've been thinking about this ever since. I just thought with all the thinking you've done, you would at least have an inkling about certain aspects" Sora calmly replied.

Roxas was taken aback. He forgot how good his friends—Sora, Ventus and Vanitas knew him. He sighed again. "Sorry man, I've forgotten how much you know me. Yeah, I have been thinking about it for some time. Sorry to say I don't have shit"

"It's alright, you don't have to rush shit, especially when it comes to this…" Sora trailed.

The two finished their cigarettes and returned to the club to drink. Most of the gang shared about what happened during the previous school year. There were a lot of laughs, jokes and of course, teases. While they were at it, they continued to order shots and drink. It was on everyone's(except Roxas) twentieth shot/Roxas' ninth shot, that shit went down…again.

Naminé was laughing uncontrollably, like how she has for the previous fifteen minutes. Some actually started laughing at her because of how she didn't stop giggling. Finally, Olette had enough and addressed her weird behavior.

"Naminé, I think you've had enough for tonight" Olette slurred, only about fifteen percent of her consciousness still in-tact.

"What? Are you kidding me?" Naminé shrieked as she giggled and hiccuped "I'm still up for another twenty shots!"

"Alright, that's it, I'm taking you home" Olette declared as she wobbly stood form her seat.

"Sit down before you break something" Aqua said, pulling Olette back down to her seat. At this Naminé let out another laugh.

"You two are soooo funny! You should seriously consider hosting a show one day!" the drunk/hyperactive girl squealed.

Vanitas suppressed a chuckle "Miss goody-two-shoes is trippin' right now" he said lowly.

Roxas shook his head "I didn't know she could be THIS annoying"

Vanitas chuckled again "I'm sure you'll find out A LOT more about her soon" the raven-head whispered.

"Hmph, no shit" Roxas whispered back.

"Okay, honey, let's go to the comfort room" Aqua said, standing up.

"What?" Naminé shrieked out "what for?"

"Come on" Aqua persisted.

"Fine" Naminé pouted and went along with Aqua, who practically dragged her to the comfort room.

"Damn, Naminé's been drinking HARD tonight" Terra remarked when the two left.

"I'm kinda worried about her…" Olette trailed.

"Me too. Kairi told me she's been acting really weird since a few days ago" Aerith chimed in. Again, guilt filled Roxas' chest.

"I wonder why. I've never seen her like this before" Selphie added "she's usually this sweet, innocent girl. I'm actually surprised she even showed up"

"Didn't you hear her? She's dealing with some problems right now, that's why she went here to drink with us" Terra answered.

Roxas simply resisted the urge to bang his head on the table. He couldn't believe this. Naminé gives him a barrage of emotionally-destructive words and she acts as if she's the one who got hurt/has 'problems'? He respected Naminé as a woman, but this was just ridiculous.

"I've had enough of all this. Why don't we talk about something more pleasing? We did go out as a group to have fun, not stick our noses in Naminé's business" Vanitas said.

"He has a point…" Hayner trailed, examining his shot glass.

"Remember when…"

Around ten minutes later, Aqua returned with Naminé leaning on her shoulder. Naminé was still giggling like crazy while Aqua looked exhausted. Just then, an unpleasant smell filled the air. Roxas sniffed a couple of times to make sure his nose wasn't just playing tricks on him. It turned out the foul smell was indeed wafting around.

"What is that smell?!" Hayner exclaimed as he attempted to cover his nose with the collar of his shirt.

"Oh my, that smells terrible" Aerith followed as she grabbed her handkerchief and covered her nose.

"What the hell is causing that smell?!" Selphie shrieked.

Aqua rolled her eyes as she sat Naminé down her seat "Blondie over here threw up" she said nonchalantly while returning to her seat.

"That's what happens when a girl who's had little to no experience with alcohol suddenly takes twenty shots" Terra remarked.

"Are you alright, Naminé?" Aerith asked worriedly. Naminé didn't even acknowledge her.

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows. Before he could do anything further, he heard a whisper on his right ear.

"A hundred says Nam's gonna throw up again in around forty-five seconds. You better get her out of here, Rox. She's had enough alcohol for a month" Vanitas whispered.

Roxas stared at his good friend incredulously "Me? Why should I? Of all people you want to drive her home, you choose the guy whom she currently hates at the moment"

"Because like it or not, you're still engaged to her"

Roxas sighed "where's Riku when you need him…" he said under his breath. "I came here to have fun, not to act as a babysitter for someone"

"Just do it before she throws up again. There's really nothing wrong with driving her home" Vanitas continued to reason.

"First of all, I don't even have a car to drive. Second, there IS something wrong with me bringing her home because we're not even fucking friends. Just because we're forced to be engaged doesn't mean I have to act like we're engaged willingly"

"First, take this" Vanitas mocked, slamming his car keys on Roxas' side of the table "second, you're not acting 'willingly' if you drive her home, it's what civilized people do; there's nothing wrong with driving home a companion who drank herself to shit"

"Why me though? Why don't you do it? You're her blockmate and you own the damn car"

"Everyone on this table except you has had twenty shots already. You on the other hand, only had nine. That's an eleven-shot difference from everyone else. You're the most qualified to drive among us"

Roxas simply growled. He hated it when Vanitas shut him up like he just did. He glanced at Naminé. She didn't look too good. Her face was already turning green; it looks like she's going to throw up again in a few seconds. He grimaced. As much as he didn't want to interact with the blonde, he had to admit that he was concerned for her.

On cue, Naminé's eyes widened and her hand shot up to cover her mouth. The girls gasped while the boys grimaced.

"Okay, come on, we're going back to the comfort room" Aqua said as she hastily pulled Naminé along with her.

"Come on, Roxas" Vanitas continued to urge.

Roxas scoffed "fine, but if she throws up on your leather seats, I got nothing to do with it"

Vanitas smiled "of course. I know what I'm getting my precious car into" Roxas simply rolled his eyes.

A few minutes later, Aqua returned with Naminé. Let's just say the blonde looked a hundred times worse than she did earlier. Before Aqua could set Naminé down her seat, he stood up and walked over them.

"I'll take it from here. I'm driving her home now. She's gonna have one hell of a hangover tomorrow morning because of what she's doing to herself" Roxas explained, grabbing Naminé by the arm.

Everyone on the table, except for Vanitas, stared at Roxas in surprise. They knew Roxas liked Naminé during their freshman year, but they didn't anticipate Roxas to act like this. On Ventus and Sora's part, they were surprised Roxas was even willing to do anything that involved Naminé. Roxas noticed all the looks his friends were giving him, but acted oblivious to them. He didn't want to deal with them right now.

"She lives on the 8th, right?" Roxas asked, turning to Vanitas for confirmation.

"Yeah, on Woodrose Avenue"

Roxas simply nodded back "I'll see you guys around soon" he slung Naminé's arm over his shoulder and tried to help her walk, but to no avail. The blonde kept falling to the ground, unable to support even a pound of her weight. Roxas glared back at Vanitas, who just shrugged. Roxas sighed and hooked an arm under Naminé's legs. He hooked his other arm under her shoulders and lifted her, just like how a husband would to his newly-pronounced wife.

Vanitas, Ventus and Sora snorted, while the rest gasped at the sight. Even other people in the club started looking and hooting at the two blonds. Roxas made a mental note to murder Vanitas later on then proceeded to exit the venue. As he was walking, Naminé whimpered.

"Ugh, wh-what's going on?" Naminé asked to no one in particular.

Roxas inwardly froze, but kept walking. He didn't really want to talk to her in her current state. When Roxas didn't speak, Naminé let out a groan.

"Am I dreaming?" Naminé asked again.

"No, you're not. I'm bringing you home" Roxas calmly replied.

Naminé whined "but I don't want to go home yet! My friends and I are still drinking! I still have some more shots to gulp down!" Naminé protested as she tried to push Roxas away. Roxas simply kept walking to the parking lot, ignoring the stares he was receiving from everyone he passed by. Naminé continued to pound his chest and tried to unhook his arms off her. After a few tries, Naminé gave up.

"Let me go" Naminé weakly whispered before her eyes fluttered shut.

Roxas sighed. He hopes she makes it tomorrow without wanting to commit suicide.

Moments later, they were at the parking lot. Roxas walked over to Vanitas' car—a charcoal-colored BMW X3. He unlocked the doors by pressing the button on the key, opened the passenger seat and sat Naminé down carefully. When he was sure her head wasn't going to bang on the window, he buckled her seatbelt for her and went around to the driver's side.

When he got on his seat, he inserted the key on the hole and waited for a few seconds before turning it. He glanced at Naminé. Her face was still a little green, her hair was disheveled and…were those tear stains on her cheeks? Roxas shook his head and started the engine.

The drive to Naminé's house was actually a really long one. Even without traffic, from the club to her place would take about forty-five minutes on average. On the way, Roxas resisted the urge to turn the radio on. He was getting really bored and music seemed to be a great way to lighten the mood up. One glance at Naminé's sleeping figure, however, led him to the conclusion that music won't be a good idea right now. It would be rude to play the radio when someone's sleeping. Also, given Naminé's condition, who knows what she might do to him…or worse…might say to him.

Without managing to break the speed limit, Roxas reached the subdivision where Naminé lived in forty minutes. He didn't know the way here, so he called Vanitas. He pulled over the street sign and dialed his phone. Moments later, Vanitas picked up.

"Hey Van, I'm at the entrance of 8th now. Where does she live again around here?"

"Just keep going straight. Woodrose should be on the fifth street on your right"

"Alright. Don't hang up though, I'll still need directions"

"Sure thing"

"Dammit, you should've been the one who drove her home" Roxas said frustratingly, trying to keep his voice down as to not wake Naminé up.

"Stop complaining, Rox, you're already there anyways"

Roxas rolled his eyes and kept driving. He turned right on the fifth street and stopped "I just turned right on the fifth street. Where here?"

"It's the big-ass mansion with a helipad on top"

Roxas scanned his surroundings and found the "big-ass mansion with a helipad on top" easily. Well, there were only six houses, or rather mansions on the street, so it wasn't that difficult. Besides, Naminé's house is the only one with a helipad on top. Roxas continued driving and stopped outside of the gates of the mansion. Roxas turned off the car engine, unbuckled his seatbelt and got out.

Seeing the mansion from a distance does its size no justice. Now that he was in front of the mansion, it looked a million times bigger. This place was HUGE. He hated to admit it, but Roxas started seeing the reason why his parents agreed to marry him off to Naminé in the first place. Naminé's family was filthy fucking rich, and that might even be an understatement. Not only was the mansion huge; they even had a fountain display on their courtyard(it was too big and elegant to be simply called a 'yard') and five wide garages that he supposed housed luxury cars. He never thought Naminé would be this wealthy. She didn't dress like it.

Roxas shook himself from his thoughts. He didn't like where they were going.

He pulled out his phone and dialed Kairi's number. Normally, he would ring the doorbell or knock to announce his presence to the household he's going to present himself to, but this particular household of Naminé's didn't live in a normal house. They lived in a fucking palace. Besides, ringing the doorbell doesn't sound like a good idea considering how late it already is. A few rings later, Kairi picked up.

"Hey, Roxas!" Kairi greeted cheerfully.

"Hey, Kai" Roxas greeted back "I'm outside your place. I'm here to drop d Naminé off"

Kairi gasped over the phone "oh my goodness, is she alright? What happened?"

"Don't worry, Kai. She just had a little too much alcohol in her system and passed out. Nothing serious, except for the fact she's going to hate herself for being so irresponsible tomorrow morning"

Kairi sighed in relief and laughed at the last part "okay, I'll ask someone to open the gate-wait a minute, who are you with?"

"Just Naminé. Why?"

"How'd you get here?"

"Um, I drove?" Roxas answered furrowing his eyebrows, not quite hinting to what the redhead over the phone was hinting at.

"I thought you didn't have a car?"

"I still don't. I used Vanitas' car to drive Naminé home"

"Oh, alright. Gimme a minute"

"Okay"

Kairi hung up. About a minute later, a maid came over and opened the mansion gates. As the maid opened the gates, he walked over to the passenger's side of the car. He opened the door and unbuckled Naminé's seatbelt. Before he carried her again however, a thought crossed his mind. He reached over and pulled down the drawer-like container in front of the passenger's seat. He rummaged through the contents until he found what he was looking for—painkillers. He stuffed the pills in his pocket and proceeded to carry Naminé the way he did earlier. After kneeing the door close, he entered the gates.

"Good evening miss, I'm just here to drop Naminé off. Would it be okay if I take her inside the house?" Roxas asked politely, stopping in front of the maid.

The maid gave a polite smile and nod "yes, sir. I'll lead you inside in a moment" the maid closed the gates again and led Roxas to the mansion.

Roxas couldn't believe it—this place was crazy. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that the Blakewoods were THIS wealthy.

"Excuse me, sir, if you don't mind me asking, are you Miss Naminé's classmate?" the maid asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Um, yes. We used to take English and Literature together during our freshman year"

At his answer, the maid seemed to perk up "ah, so you're a student from section 23. Miss Naminé has always had a soft spot for those in your section"

Roxas frowned, but hid it. Yeah, that's true…except for him "I guess so. People in our section love to have her around, that's for sure. That's why she got herself drunk tonight"

"Hm, I suppose there's nothing wrong with that. She's had a rough couple of weeks and spending time with her friends seem to be the only way she can keep herself sane. It just so happened that her friends had some alcohol tonight and so did she"

Roxas grew concerned because of what he heard "excuse me, but did you just say "a rough couple of weeks"? If it's alright, may I ask what happened or what's been happening to her?"

"I'm sure Miss Naminé won't mind me telling a friend of hers. Well, since the around the third week of May, she's been exhausted, drained. I personally thought it was just because school was about to end and her requirements were piling up, but I'm afraid I was wrong. I thought she would return to her sunny, cheerful self after the school year, but since summer vacation started, she's looked worse than ever. Since summer started, she's been more exhausted, more…lethargic. I tried talking to her but she keeps telling me that she doesn't want to bother me with whatever she's dealing with"

Not only did guilt fill Roxas' chest again, but this time, also complete and utter worry. What could she be dealing with? If she's been like this since May, it means it doesn't entirely involve him…or does it? What could she be going through to turn her into a person who was the complete opposite of the one he knew? His thoughts were interrupted again when the maid spoke.

"Over here, sir" the maid gestured as she opened the large doors in the front of the mansion. Roxas slid his shoes off and stepped inside the unbelievably-large abode.

"Roxas!" the blond turned his head and saw a smiling-but-at-the-same-time-worried-looking Kairi.

"Hey Kairi" Roxas greeted back.

Kairi pressed her cheek against Roxas' in greeting. She then looked down at her sleeping sister in his arms. While she was worried for her sister, she had to admit; her sister in Roxas' arms just looked perfect. Kairi turned to the maid and spoke.

"Kate, please continue finishing up in the kitchen. I'll handle this"

"Yes, ma'am" the maid replied with a bow. She turned to Roxas and also bowed, which Roxas acknowledged with a nod and walked off.

Kairi turned to Roxas "follow me. You're taking her upstairs to her room"

Roxas pouted "are you sure it's a good idea for me to enter a girl's room?"

"Don't be such a baby!" Kairi chided and led the way upstairs.

"Your parents home?" Roxas asked as they walked up.

"No. They're on a business trip until next week"

"That explains how your sister over here was able to go to Derfs and get drunk. Speaking of which, why didn't you go?"

"I wasn't in the mood to"

Roxas rolled his eyes "you do know you'll have to come up with a better excuse than that"

Kairi sighed "fine. I've been working out and haven't had alcohol since New Year's Eve. I intend to keep it that way. Detoxifying is such a hassle"

"You didn't have to get drunk beyond belief like how the others did to hang out with us. You could've just sat there beside your sister"

"You really think that's going to happen, with your 'boys' around?"

"Heh, you have a point"

"Of course I do"

Kairi took a left turn and walked to the end of the hallway. Roxas followed and stopped in front of the large white door. Kairi turned the knob and opened the door fully to give Roxas more space to carry her sleeping sister inside. After Roxas entered, Kairi went over the bed, unfolded the covers and stepped aside. Roxas laid Naminé on the queen-sized bed, took her slippers off and pulled the covers over her petite figure.

Roxas gazed at the sleeping blonde's face. He resisted the urge to caress her cheek. He somehow can't believe this was the same woman he was smitten over two years ago. For the first time in two years, he was able to look at her properly. Not a lot has changed about her, he noticed. She still had the same built, her face was still the same, except she has less pimples than she had before. She still looked like the Naminé he knew during freshman year. Then he frowned. Obviously, he doesn't know if she's still the same person. Suddenly, he felt like such an ass for acting like the way he did. He should've went out of his way to see her and talked to her about their…circumstances. He should've just manned up and explained himself so she could've known the truth. He sighed and closed his eyes. He normally didn't dare play with the could'ves, should'ves and would'ves, but he just couldn't help it this time. He was overcome with guilt. He almost made a promise to himself that he would do a much better job of understanding Naminé and simply giving her what she wants. Almost. He didn't like making promises—because he ALWAYS fulfills them; no excuses. He's just not sure if he'll do the same for Naminé yet.

Behind him, Kairi smiled. She turned and left the room. She knew what Roxas was doing…specifically what he was thinking about.

Roxas remained in the room for a couple more minutes, just gazing at Naminé and thinking to himself. He really got angry with himself. He was so busy being a little bitch that he forgot Naminé had feelings and her own problems as well. He smacked his head. He could be really selfish at times.

Eventually, he decided to leave. He pulled out the painkillers he stuffed in his pocket earlier and sat them down the desk beside Naminé's bed. After putting them in a spot he was sure she wasn't going to miss, he left. Before he closed the door, he took one last glance at Naminé. Who knows when he'll see her like this again, right? When he was satisfied, he closed the door gently and went downstairs, where Kairi was waiting for him.

"You have a minute?" Kairi asked as Roxas was walking down the stairs.

"I think so. Why?"

"Sit" Kairi gestured to the couch across her "I wanna talk to you about some stuff"

Roxas obliged and sat himself down "okay, I got nothing to do anyways"

Kairi sighed and fidgeted with her hands "well, first I have to thank you for driving Naminé home safely and taking care of her. I was supposed to pick her up; I was actually waiting for her to text me so I could prepare and leave. Turns out you already did my work for me"

"It's no problem" Roxas replied nonchalantly.

"Second," Kairi continued "I want to apologize for my parents dragging you into this mess of a marriage with my sister"

At this, Roxas sighed "Kai, listen, I appreciate the gesture, but this isn't your parents' fault. Not entirely anyways. My parents had a lot to do with this as well, because if I remember correctly, they were the ones who AGREED to this in the first place"

"But even so, I just feel like I should apologize. You both don't deserve to get married because some people in the corporate world want to keep a union alive"

"Th-thanks…I guess. Hold on, if you don't mind me asking, why was Naminé chosen to be married off and not you? I'll be honest with you here; I would be a lot more comfortable if I was to be married to you and not your sister simply because you're actually a good friend of mine. Now that I think of it, I don't understand why I didn't even bother talking to you in the first place when I heard about the engagement. I'm sorry if this hurts but I actually forgot that you were Naminé's sister"

Kairi chuckled "no harm done, I totally understand. You must've been too depressed and too lost in your thoughts to remember. I would've done the same if I were in your situation. To answer your question, Naminé was chosen instead of me because she's obviously the better individual when it comes to corporate-related work. Naminé's ridiculously smart for her age. Even in the corporate world, she's shown that she can handle herself just fine. Months ago, Dad asked her to come up with a couple of proposals for some company projects. The ideas Naminé gave him ended up being the actual ones that were used in the projects. In the end, the projects were more successful than anticipated and the company made tons of money, all because of Naminé's ideas"

Roxas shook his head at Kairi's answer "I always knew she was smart, but that's some next-level shit right there. Wait, isn't she taking up Humanities?'

"Yep"

"So why did your dad approach HER for ideas that involve the corporate world?"

"She took Business Management as a second degree earlier this year" Kairi explained.

"Well okay, she's smart AND mature for her age, but still, I still don't know why a marriage of all things would be the solution our parents went with"

"Simple. Your father holds around twenty of shares in the union. Our father holds around forty. That's the two largest shares in the union; everyone else only holds about ten. A marriage between the families of the two biggest shareholders of the union for one, would promote stability/security among the members of the union. Seeing two of the biggest shareholders 'unite' will only lead everyone to believe that the members of the union has a strong connection and won't just falter; thereby giving the message that everyone should stay in the union, because it is compact. This will also attract the interest of businessmen and shareholders outside of the union and will eventually entice them to join the union. The marriage won't serve only as a short-term solution, but it will also serve as a long-term one"

It made sense. Given that and this big-ass mansion the Blakwoods own, he now almost-fully understands why he was forced into marriage. It was unfair for both he and Naminé, but it was a very effective solution that will also ensure their future.

"That makes sense. I'm finally getting some answers that I've been dying to get since that dinner party last Saturday"

"You should just ask the people around you. Try talking to your parents; I'm sure they'll explain everything you need to know"

"I will, soon enough" Roxas said. He wanted to talk to Kairi about what's been bothering Naminé, but ultimately he decided it would be best if he asked Naminé herself. Also, it would give him something to talk to Naminé about when he runs out of topics for conversations in the future. "I was just so overwhelmed by everything. It all happened so fast. I return from California and getting married was the first thing I heard from my father. The fact that I haven't even had a girlfriend makes it worse"

"That's something you have in common with Naminé" Kairi interrupted with a smug grin.

"Which part?" Roxas asked with a raised eyebrow.

"You not having a girlfriend"

Roxas laughed "You kidding me? Naminé? Not having a boyfriend? Ever? Impossible. You do know she's dating someone right now from our EnLit section right?"

Kairi furrowed her brows "really? Who?"

Roxas rolled his eyes "Come on, you're her sister! You should know! She's dating Riku at the moment"

Kairi gave a funny expression "What? Really? Sure, they're always together, they go out together and study together, but that doesn't mean they're together as in boyfriend-girlfriend"

"Same thing"

"No, it's not. She MIGHT be dating him, I'll give you that. But I think even that is a longshot. Naminé only looks at him as a friend…I think. Besides, she spends time with tons of guys! Vanitas is a good example. Although on one hand, Naminé never tells me anything about her love life. But bottomline, they're not together like that. So technically, Naminé's never had a boyfriend"

"Alright, you win" Roxas said, raising his hands.

Kairi's smile turned into a wicked grin "Is someone jealous?"

Roxas snorted. She couldn't be serious. "Jealous? Me? Of course not. Remember how I told you how perfect Riku and Naminé are for each other? Their personalities complement each other perfectly. I even told you that I would support them if they date"

Kairi rolled her eyes "Yeah, whatever you say"

Roxas shook his head "I'm serious!"

"Fine. Anyways, now you understand why I'm apologizing? You guys don't deserve this"

"Yeah, especially Naminé…"

"Right"

Roxas glanced at his watch. It was already 12:30 in the morning. "Oops, it's 12:30 already. I better get back. I still have to return Vanitas' car"

"Okay" Kairi stood up and led the way to the front door. She opened the door and leaned against it. Roxas stepped out and turned to her.

"I appreciate the talk, Kairi. Some of the things you said answered some questions I had in mind. Thank you so much"

"No problem. Feel free to ask me anything; I'll do my best to give you answers. It's the least I can do for you"

"I appreciate it"

"You know," Kairi started, resting a hand on Roxas' shoulder "I know you're dealing with a lot right now, but could you do me a favor?"

Roxas, not one to decline his friends of favors, replied with "I'll do my best"

Kairi smiled "That's good. I just want you to keep doing what you're doing"

Roxas furrowed his eyebrows questioningly "What do you mean?"

"Whatever you're doing, just keep doing it" Kairi reiterated.

"I don't entirely understand. Please explain"

Kairi smiled "Just do it"

Roxas sighed "Fine. Whatever it is you're pertaining to that I'm doing, I'm gonna keep doing it"

Kairi's smile widened "Good. Thanks a lot. Although I'll be honest with you; I don't think I have to tell you to do so. I have a feeling you'll keep doing it regardless"

"Uh…thanks?"

Kairi shook her head "One more thing"

"What is it?"

Kairi squeezed his shoulder before speaking "Stay strong"

Roxas did not fully understand the meaning behind the redhead's words, but nodded anyways "I will, don't worry"

"Alright, that's all. You better get going"

"Yeah, see you around"

"See you. Kate, my friend's leaving! Please open the gate for him!" Kairi half-shouted as she closed the door.

Roxas started walking towards the gate and waited for the maid there. Kate showed up moments later and rushed to open the gate.

"I apologize for the delay; I was wiping the dishes"

"It's no problem, miss. Thank you for your kindness. Oh, I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name"

"My name's Kate, sir" the maid replied politely with a smile.

"Ah, my name's Roxas" Roxas held out a hand, which the maid shook curtly "I best get going. Thank you again"

"Have a safe drive, sir Roxas"

Roxas smiled and walked outside. He entered the car and leaned his head backwards for a minute. An idea formed in his mind. Kairi said she "thinks" that Naminé and Riku aren't dating, but even she herself said that they MIGHT be, so he didn't see anything wrong with his idea. The only thing that may be wrong is the fact that he and Naminé are engaged and Naminé might already be depressed over the fact she can't date Riku because of it. That would make things worse, but Roxas doubts it.

He grabbed his phone and dialed Riku's number. Knowing the guy, he'd still be awake right now. Moments later, Riku picked up.

"Hello?" Riku said, obviously confused.

"Hey, Riku? It's me, Roxas. Listen, I don't really have time to explain, but could you come over to Naminé's house and look after her?"

"Naminé? What happened?" Riku asked, his tone overflowing with concern. Yep, they might be dating.

"She had a little too much alcohol and passed out. She's probably going to have a hangover in a few hours" Roxas explained calmly, no jealousy at all in his voice.

"O-okay, I'll drop by in a while"

"Alright, thanks, Riku" Roxas hung up.

After everything Naminé's been through, the least he could do for her is call the guy who she probably has feelings for and ask him to take care of her. They deserve some time together anyways. With that, he started the car engine and drove back to Vanitas' house.

Meanwhile, the redhead sat on the couch she and Roxas sat on earlier. She smiled.

Her sister's got one hell of a potential husband.

**A/N: Phew, that was one wordy chapter! I have to admit, this is one of the longest chapters I've ever written in any story. I hope you enjoyed! Please don't forget to leave a review, favorite the story or follow it! I figured I'd introduce Kairi in this chapter. She's in the same year as Roxas is, but she's older In the next chapter, Roxas gets his shit together and starts figuring ways out on how to talk to ****Namin****é in a more civilized manner. It will take another chapter before they both talk and find closure. So there you have it, I'll see you next time! **


	5. Chapter 5: Happiness? Bullsht!

**A/N: Hello everyone! Here's another update! First of all, thanks to users piesh18, Tails Anhidec and Mattirving for adding this story to their favorite's list, to users piesh18, TheRWBYDragon, Eppsilon7, Cloud4012 and lunar locket for following and to users IGSP, Ana and Cloud4012 for reviewing! Thank you so much! In this next chapter, Roxas spends time with his friends and have a dinner with the Blakewood family. Please leave a review, favorite or follow, because it motivates me to update faster! Happy reading!**

**Review responses:**

**Ana: No problem! Please don't hesitate to ask any questions; I'll be sure to answer all of them. Yes, not much about the letter in the previous chapter. However, A LOT of details about the letter will be revealed in the next chapter after this, so stay tuned! No, I don't plan to include Riku just yet. Thank you for reviewing!**

**IGSP: I appreciate it! Oh and no harm done XD. I'll explain why Roxas called Riku here in this chapter. Thank you for reviewing!**

**Cloud4012: Thank you for reviewing!**

**On to the story…**

The phone on the nearby desk rang loudly, undoubtedly rousing its still-exhausted owner from his slumber. The blond grunted and blindly reached for the ringing and vibrating device. He cursed under his breath as he pressed the answer button and rested the phone on his left ear.

"Hello?" Roxas hoarsely said.

"Hey man," it turned out to be Ventus "we're rounding up some guys to play basketball. You game?"

"G" Roxas croaked out

"Nice! Hold on, you sound like a dying horse right now. Are you okay?"

"I'm fine, it's just I was still sleeping when you called. What time is it anyway?"

"It's like fucking two in the afternoon!"

Normally, Roxas would be frantic, but he remembered that it was summer—there was nothing to be frantic about. "What time are we playing again?"

"In about fifteen minutes"

"Alright, I'll see you there"

"Yeah, see you"

Roxas rolled on his back and started rubbing the dust off his eyes. He stretched afterwards and sat up. For some reason, the blond smiled. He had a feeling today wasn't going to be as bad as the last few days he's endured. What could it be? The blond didn't want to think about it. He simply wanted to enjoy today. For the first time this summer, he wanted to actually live like it's summer.

Although at the back of his head, there was a voice telling him to not be too excited, to not feel too happy. Roxas knows, better than almost anyone, that one shouldn't succumb to happiness so easily. Because whenever one becomes happy, there's always a tragedy that follows that is a million times more painful.

But why shouldn't he be at least glad today? First of all, he didn't have a nightmare last night. Since the night he slept over at Ven's house and had a nightmare regarding Naminé, he thought he'd ALWAYS have nightmares about her from there on out. He HAD a few nightmares after that day, but last night, he slept like a baby. Well, maybe because of the alcohol and all the driving he did. He shook his head and got up to prepare to play basketball.

Once he was all set, he sent his mother a text message and left. As usual, he arrived before everyone else did. Since he didn't have a basketball, he just sat down the nearby bench and waited. When he got bored, he grabbed his cellphone and browsed through his inbox. But, he accidentally touched the 'Call Log' icon. He was surprised to see he had four missed calls. All of them were from Kairi. The calls had at least a thirty-minute interval from each other. He went to his inbox and found five messages from Kairi as well. He scratched the back of his head. How was he able to send his mom a text and not notice Kairi's messages? Wow, talk about stupid. He scrolled up and started reading the messages chronologically.

'_Hey Roxas, did you get home safely? Send me a text when you arrive home, so I make sure you didn't get into an accident or something' _was the first message, which was sent at 1:13 in the morning. Roxas smiled sheepishly. It was kinda late to text her back thirteen hours later. He scrolled down further.

'_Not picking up, eh? I assume you're already home and asleep right now. Vanitas sent me a text about you returning his car to his house. I'll see you tomorrow then. Sleep tight! Oh, and thanks for taking care of Nami again __'_ this time, Roxas simply shook his head.

The third text came in during seven in the morning. It read '_Hey, Riku just showed up. He told me you called him last night asking him to take care of __Namin__é. Is that true? I'm calling you in five if you don't reply'_ Roxas chuckled. No wonder she called.

He checked and it turns out Kairi called him twice before texting him again. '_Come on Rox, pick up! You have to be awake by now! You better not be avoiding me!'_ Roxas grew worried, but not because he didn't answer Kairi's calls. He was worried because Kairi knew him a lot more than he thought she did.

Kairi called him twice again before she sent her final message. _'Give me a call when you pick your damned phone up. I have some news for you; you might wanna hear this. Call me ASAP, I can't explain everything to you via text. Since you claim that you're not jealous of Riku and __Namin__é, they were so cute earlier! Kyaaaaaa!'_

Roxas chuckled loudly at the last message. Kairi may be nineteen, but she sure has her moments that make her seem like nine. When his laughter died down, his mood shifted into a serious one. Something came up. Whatever this "news" was, it sure wasn't doing anything to calm him down. He was about to call Kairi, but then he heard Ventus' voice.

"Yo Rox!"

He turned and saw his friends approaching him. He stood and greeted them.

"Good to see you up and about. You made it okay last night?" Ventus asked.

"Of course I did. You know I drive better when I'm tipsy" Roxas joked, snatching the ball from Sora's grasp.

Everyone dropped their bags and prepared to play. Vanitas pulled Roxas aside and talked in a low voice.

"You called Riku to check up on Naminé last night?"

"Yeah"

Vanitas smacked his forehead. "Are you stupid?"

"Why?" Roxas asked innocently.

"Come on, Roxas, you can't be THAT dumb. What if Naminé was hurting because she can't be with Riku?"

"Key words being 'what if'. Besides, Kairi herself said that Riku's not Naminé's boyfriend. She did say that they MIGHT be dating, but it was highly unlikely"

"I spend at least half of my day with Naminé and tell me, they ARE dating. Dammit, you made shit worse for her!"

"Hold on, Van, hold on" Roxas said calmly, raising his hands "if that's the case, I didn't do anything wrong. If they ARE dating, which I personally believe, then they deserve some time with each other. Naminé hasn't been acting normal lately, so a little time with her…special someone won't do her any harm"

Vanitas scoffed "You better know what kind of shit you're digging yourself into"

"You know me, I don't do shit unless I know what's going to happen to me afterwards"

"Hey, you two, we playing or what?" Hayner shouted.

"Come on, let's play some ball" Roxas urged as he made his way to his friends.

Their group ended up playing for two hours. Roxas' good mood carried over to the game, for he scored eighty-one points(**A/N: SHOUTOUT TO KOBE BRYANT)** combined in two games. After the game, everyone went on to play H.O.R.S.E., except for Roxas. Roxas sat on the bench, wiped himself with his towel and called Kairi.

"Roxas Helterbrand, you better have an explanation as to why you were ignoring me earlier!" Kairi's voice boomed.

Roxas cringed "I'm sorry, alright? I was actually asleep. I woke up at two in the afternoon"

This seemed to calm Kairi down "Oh, really? Wow, that's a first"

"I know. I've been so exhausted lately, so I'm not really surprised. Anyways, what's up?"

"Our parents told Naminé and I over the phone that we'll be having dinner with you and your family next Tuesday. I assume your parents haven't told you?"

Roxas sighed dejectedly "No"

"Well, there you have it"

"Wait, did you say "we"? You're going?"

"Yep!"

Roxas sighed in relief and smiled "Nice! I finally have someone to talk to"

"No, not this time, Roxas"

"Huh? What do you mean?"

"I'm not coming along for you to have someone to talk to. You have Naminé to talk to, remember?"

Roxas scratched the back of his head "Nah, I don't think so. Speaking of Naminé, how is she?"

"She's fine, thanks to Riku, I guess. By the way, the pills you left on her desk worked like magic. It cured Naminé's headache almost instantly"

"Glad to hear"

"Where did you get those anyway?"

"The right place"

"That sounds hella shady, Roxas"

"Nah, just kidding. The local pharmacy. Can't drink without bringing some painkillers along…"

"Right. Riku looked so cute while taking care of her earlier!" Kairi squealed "Oops, sorry"

Roxas rolled his eyes, even if Kairi couldn't see "Come on, Kai. I'm telling you, I'm not jealous or envious AT ALL. I even freaking called Riku to come over"

"Speaking of which, why DID you call Riku to come over?"

"I just thought he and Naminé deserved to spend some time together. I know how tough the last few weeks have been for Naminé, so I figured she should chill with Riku"

Kairi let out a laugh "You seem awfully concerned about Naminé…"

"It's like the most normal thing to do for a friend. Anyone would do that. I'm just looking out for her, that's all"

"Is Naminé your friend? Is that what she is to you?" Kairi asked, ignoring everything else that he just said.

Roxas froze. He remained silent for a moment. What IS Naminé to him? He was absolutely stunned, unable to answer the simple questions Kairi asked him. After a long silence, Roxas sighed into the phone and spoke "Yes, she's my friend"

"Mhm, I see"

"Anyways, how is she doing right now? Riku still there?"

"Naminé asleep right now. No, Riku left after lunch. He said something about musical practice and left"

"Ah, busy as ever. Typical Riku…"

"Are you really sure you have no hard feelings towards him?"

"Absolutely. I'm sure he feels the same. He's one of the first three people to know that I had…a little crush on Naminé back in freshman year. He even teased me throughout the year"

"A little crush?" Kairi teased.

"I hate you, Kai"

"Just kidding! But honestly, I saw it coming between them too. They were just so close with each other. Sure, Naminé's close with a lot of guys, but she seems to smile and laugh a lot more when she's with Riku"

"That's why I called Riku to check on her, get it?"

"I know, I'm not stupid. Chill"

"I didn't say anything"

"Whatever. Hey, listen, I gotta go. I have to pick something up around the corner. Bye!"

"Bye"

Roxas hung up and stared at the screen of his phone for a few seconds. Then he let out a silent laugh. Kairi sure has a way of talking to him…

After another hour of messing around in the court, Roxas and his friends went out to eat. While the gang was having fun eating and joking, Roxas' phone rang. He excused himself and went outside to answer the call. It turned out to be Riku.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Roxas, it's Riku. I just wanna say thank you for calling me last night to check on Naminé"

"Nah, it's nothing. How is she by the way?"

"She's been better. The pills you left really helped!"

"I'm glad. Painkillers always do the trick against hangovers"

"You said it. I got there at around seven in the morning and I found her throwing up on the toilet"

"That…doesn't look like a sight for sore eyes"

"Definitely not. She was throwing up like crazy until she took those pills. Gave her some water and just talked with her until I left after lunch"

"I'm taking a guess that she didn't eat" Roxas said with a chuckle.

Riku also laughed "Yeah, she didn't. She nearly threw up again at the mere sight of food"

"Some hangover she got…"

"Sure was…oh yeah, I didn't know you were back in Kentucky"

"Oh, sorry I forgot to tell. Yeah, I just got back a couple of weeks ago"

"How's it over there in Cali?"

"A lot of distractions, but really fun. I miss everyone here though"

"I see. Must be tough being away from your family and friends"

"Definitely. Totally worth it though"

"I can only imagine. Anyways, I have to go now. I'll talk to you later. Thanks again for calling last night"

"Yeah, sure, no problem"

"I'm guessing that was Riku?" Vanitas said, lighting a cigarette.

Roxas stuffed his phone in his pocket and nodded "Yep"

"What'd he say?" Vanitas asked as he handed his pack and a lighter to Roxas.

"He just thanked me for calling him to check on Naminé, nothing too serious" Roxas said as he lit a stick of his own.

Vanitas chuckled as he puffed out smoke. He turned to Roxas with a smile on his face "I really can't believe you're not jealous of him at all"

Roxas shook his head for the umpeteenth time today "Why would I be jealous?"

"I dunno, cause he has the woman you've been chasing since you were a freshman?"

"First of all, I _haven't been_ _chasing _her, I _chased_ her—when I was a freshman. I'm not chasing her anymore. Second, I don't exactly have a problem with Riku dating Naminé"

"Why?"

"Because their personalities mix well"

"And yours and Naminé's don't?"

"I can't say for sure, but from the looks of it, Naminé and I in a relationship sounds like the Third World War"

"Why do you keep saying that?"

"Because it's the truth. Don't make me explain what I already did to Naminé on the letter I gave her"

"Okay, I get it, you're an asshole, but you're not THAT kind of asshole. Give yourself a shot with a girl you actually like"

"I don't have to. Our parents already forced us together, remember?"

"Then don't act any differently. Act as if you still have to court her and treat her like your girlfriend"

"I'll do that when one, she stops hating me, which is two hundred percent impossible at this point and two, when I grow a pair of balls to even ask her out on a date"

"I don't think she hates you"

"But I _know_ she does. How could she not?"

"Whatever man. Believe what you want to believe"

"I will, thank you" Roxas responded sarcastically.

Vanitas sighed and ran a hand through his hair "Roxas, we've been telling you since we were freshmen: just ask her out on a date. It's not like you're going to profess your love or anything; you're just going to ask her out. Nothing wrong with that. It's been two years and you haven't done shit. We keep talking to you about this because we care about you, because we want you to be happy. In this case, even if you're getting married, you can at least try"

Roxas smiled sadly "I appreciate your concern, like I always have, but I'm sorry, I'm just not doing that. If you guys want me to be happy, then you guys want something that is unobtainable for me. I will NEVER find happiness with Naminé. The same goes with her. Now that we'll be forced into a marriage, happiness is already out of the question. Neither of us will EVER be happy. It's simply impossible. Who would be happy loving someone by force? Someone who one doesn't really care about that deeply? No one. Our happiness was taken away the very moment we found out we're engaged. I appreciate it, but just stop. Let's just face reality. Happiness is only an illusion for me at this point. I'd rather die lonely than be married to someone who I know won't look at me the same way I look at her"

Silence ensued. Vanitas let out a sigh "I…see how you feel. I apologize then. We thought you'd still want to be with her" at this point, both of their cigarettes were already out.

"I thought so too, Van, I thought so too. Remember that summer after freshman year, after I gave her that letter?" Vanitas nodded "I went crazy during those two months. I kept thinking about her even if I didn't want to. I wanted to punch myself for harboring feelings for someone I barely knew. We weren't even friends and she had me weak in the knees. She appeared in my dreams. She invaded my thoughts all the time. I was so pathetic; a girl I didn't even know that much did all that to me. At that point I kept imagining us together. I kept imagining that somehow, I won't transfer to Stanford, I would stay in Kentucky with all of you, she and I'll have another class together in Sophomore year, I'll befriend her and act as if nothing happened—as if I didn't write that letter and eventually ask her out. But no, Van. I was fool to think like that. I was a fool to think that she could just forget about that letter and act as if we just met. I got to Stanford and forced myself to forget about her. It took me a while, but I was able to forget her. Then I come home a year later and find myself in this shithole. You think I'd still want to be with her? You think happiness is still on my mind after what happened, with Xion when I was in high school and now with Naminé right now?" Roxas spoke, trying to keep his emotions in check.

Vanitas couldn't speak. He didn't know what to say. He felt like such a dumbass. He should've known better. Roxas sensed that perhaps he went too far. He rested a hand on Vanitas' shoulder. When Vanitas looked up at him, he sighed "I'm sorry man. I went too far. I'm sorry, I'm just…" the blond sighed. He woke up hours ago thinking this would be a good day. It was already worse than the other mundane summer days he had.

"Don't, Rox. I understand. I'm sorry for not being able to realize. Like I said, we just wanted you to be happy. We should've known…"

"No man, it's also my fault. I shouldn't have talked like that. Sorry…"

Vanitas shook his head and smiled "Let's just not think about it. I understand you clearly now. I'll do my best to help you, you know that right?"

Roxas returned the smile "Yeah, of course. Thank you"

Vanitas nodded and hooked his arm around the blond "Let's get back inside and eat, eh?"

"Good idea"

The days went by fast. Before Roxas knew it, it was already Tuesday. His parents also informed him of the scheduled dinner during Saturday. He shrugged it off, already knowing about the Tuesday-night even.

During Tuesday afternoon, Roxas stood in front of the mirror, buttoning up his white longsleeves. Afterwards, he wore his black necktie. He examined himself in the mirror. He didn't look half-bad. He couldn't help but anticipate what's going to happen in tonight's encounter with the Blakewoods. At least he had Kairi to keep him company…somehow. She'll probably force him to talk to Naminé or vice versa.

Speaking of Naminé, he hasn't heard from her since the previous week. She didn't even bother to leave him a text message or anything. Then again, it's not like Roxas expected her to contact him.

His thoughts were interrupted when he heard a knock on his door. He opened it and there stood his father, smiling sadly at him.

"You look good, son"

Roxas nodded, not returning the smile "Thanks, dad"

His father sighed "Look son, I'm really sorry about-"

"Dad," Roxas cut him off "let's just stop. What's done is done. I understand you that you have your reasons for this"

"O-okay, son"

"But please remember," Roxas started, his expression neutral.

"Yes?"

"I won't be doing you any favors after this. I'm paying all my debts with this ultimate sacrifice. Is that clear?" Roxas declared boldly.

His father was taken aback by his words. Roxas didn't wait for him to reply. The blond grabbed his coat and headed outside to wait by the car.

Roxas knew it wasn't proper to talk to his father like that, but he was just being honest. No more debts after this one. He shook himself out of his thoughts and just leaned against the car. Later, his parents arrived and entered the vehicle with him.

The drive to the venue was silent. The whole way, Roxas could feel his parents' gaze on him. He pretended to be asleep to avoid any potential conversation with them. About thirty minutes or so, they arrived at the place. It turned out to be the fanciest restaurant in the city. They sure are going to burn a lot of money tonight.

Roxas dejectedly exited the vehicle and followed his parents inside the restaurant.

"Blakewood, please" his father politely said to the waiter.

The waiter smiled and held out his hand toward the direction of the table under the name "This way, sir"

Roxas followed as the waiter led them to the elevator. When they reached the second to the last level, they got out and the waiter led them to their table. He wasn't surprised to find the Blakewoods already in their seats waiting for them. When Naminé's parents saw them approaching, both stood up to greet them. The men shook hands and the women exchanged hugs.

"Ah, Roxas!" Kiefer, Naminé's father greeted with a smile as he patted the young blond's shoulder.

Roxas returned the smile and nodded "Mr. Blakewood"

"My, how handsome you look!" Nicole, Naminé's mother interjected as she pressed her cheek against Roxas'. Roxas simply smiled at her.

"Please, take your seats" Kiefer said as he gestured to the three vacant seats in the table.

To Roxas' annoyance, his father took the seat beside Naminé's father and his mother sat beside him. The only seat left was the seat beside Naminé, who had her gaze downwards at the moment. He sighed and decided to just get on with it. His parents probably planned for him to sit beside his 'fiance' anyways. He sat himself down and tried to act normal.

"Oh, I beg your pardon. This is our daughter, Kairi" Kiefer introduced as he gestured to Kairi "She is Naminé's older sister"

Kairi bowed with a smile towards the Helterbrands who did the same. The redhead's gaze met with Roxas' and both snickered. Roxas turned away from the table. He wanted to burst out laughing at the moment. This situation was just so…awkward.

Dinner progressed with the parents of both families doing all of the talking. At some point, Naminé's parents started asking Roxas questions.

"Roxas," Kiefer started "you're attending Stanford, correct?"

"Yes sir"

"How do you find the college life in California?" Nicole asked.

"It's been great so far, ma'am. It gets REALLY difficult most of the time but I believe I can manage"

"Your father says you're taking up computer science?" Kiefer asked this time.

"Yes sir"

"What interests you so much about computer science?"

Roxas knew perfectly why Naminé's parents were asking him these questions. It annoyed the hell out of him, but for his parents' sake, he had to play along. "I'm honestly more into technical courses, sir, so that's one reason as to why I chose computer science. Another reason is because of course, we're already in the age of technology, so it won't be that difficult to land a great job after I graduate…as long as I put in the work. Lastly, because I just enjoy working with computers"

Naminé's parents smiled "Hm, that's good then" Roxas sighed. He dodged a bullet there.

"Actually," Roxas' mother interrupted "computer science isn't the ONLY course he's taking up"

Naminé's parents' eyes widened "Really? What else are you taking up, Roxas?"

He resisted the urge to roll his eyes at his parents. Way to put him in this position. With a smile he said "I'm taking up both computer science and economics as majors and poetry and fiction as a minor"

Naminé's parents looked astounded. Kiefer smiled "Two majors and a minor? Impressive…impressive indeed. But wait, poetry and fiction? What pushed you to take a minor in that field?"

"Well sir, because when I was still in Kentucky, I had in my opinion a great professor in Literature. He inspired me to take the challenge to make literature a part of my life"

"Ah, right, you used to go to Kentucky. Speaking of Literature, Naminé and Kairi just LOVE their EnLit blockmates. In fact, I think they're actually closer to them than they are to their own blockmates"

Roxas chuckled and met Kairi's gaze once again "I can only imagine, ma'am, I can only imagine"

The conversation continued among the two families. However, during the entire period, Naminé remained silent and her gaze was downwards. Roxas tried his best to not even look at her. He succeeded, which pleased him mildly. Although he didn't look at her, he was able to smell her perfume the whole time. It smelled so… Naminé. He found himself sniffing her scent like a drug-user. He mentally slapped himself numerous times to get a grip and stop smelling the blonde beside her.

Much to his utter annoyance, Naminé's and his parents kept dropping comments on how they should talk, get to know one another or something like that because of Naminé's behavior. Roxas simply laughed it off while he didn't even bother to check Naminé's reaction. Roxas had to admit, even if Naminé's parents knew that he went to Kentucky, they didn't ask him if he actually knew Naminé prior to his engagement to her. For some reason, Roxas didn't want either of his and Naminé's parents to find out they knew each other because of EnLit. About an hour into the dinner, Roxas stood up.

"Excuse me everyone," everyone except Naminé turned to look at him "I'll be upstairs to get some fresh air. I'm afraid I'm a little under the weather at the moment"

"Go ahead, son" his mother said. Everyone else just nodded in…concern? He bowed his head and went upstairs to the balcony.

This damn restaurant was so fancy. Not only was the place amazing, but it also had a balcony which overlooked the entire city. Roxas leaned against the railing and let out a sigh. The sight was beautiful. He looked up and saw a myriad of stars present in the sky. He smiled. It was the perfect time to go stargazing with someone you love. Unfortunately, that person doesn't and will never exist for him. He wished he brought a pack of cigarettes with him. It would feel so good to have a smoke in this place. But then again, his parents and Naminé's parents probably won't appreciate that.

He was so engrossed in gazing at the stars that he didn't hear someone exit the elevator and make her way towards him. She stopped a few steps away from him.

"Roxas," a voice started.

Roxas' eyes widened. He should be dreaming right now—because Naminé NEVER talks to him like this. He prepared himself for a barrage of hurtful words no one has ever told him before and turned to the owner of the voice.

He saw Naminé staring at him right in the eye. For the first time tonight, he was able to look at her properly. She wore a white dress and a pair of black stilettos. She had some makeup on but her hair was in it's usual, flowy state. His heart raced at the very sight of her. He remembered seeing her for the first time in September back in their freshman year in Kentucky. She still looked the same…as beautiful as ever. However, her expression was a different story. She looked as if she was about to cry…she looked so vulnerable. Why would she look like this? What happened?

"Hey" Roxas replied with a small smile on his lips.

Naminé's expression worsened. Her eyes shined with unshed tears. It looked like she was about to break down any minute. "I n-need…to talk to you…" she trailed shakily.

Roxas sighed. A confrontation over what's happened the last few weeks, eh? Roxas prepared himself for a very, very confusing and emotional evening.

**A/N: There you have it folks! In the next chapter, Roxas and ****Namin****é finally talk about their issues. I won't reveal anything else than that, but I can say that our favorite couple will be spending some more time with each other then. Please continue to review, favorite or follow. I'm really enjoying writing this story so far! Thanks for reading and have a good day!**


	6. Chapter 6: Back to square one

**A/N: Hello everyone! Before anything else, I want to apologize for my long absence. It turns out summer wasn't as relaxing as I thought it'd be. It didn't help that I had summer classes because I went on to my subjects for next year in advance. The summer semester lasted from June to the second week of July. I have a three-week break before classes resume on the 10****th**** of August. By then, I look to have uploaded three or four chapters(this being the first) to compensate for my absence, since my schedule this coming school year is just horrible. I'm sorry to keep you all waiting and I hope this 4500+ word-chapter will make up for it XD. This chapter is pretty much full of conversations between Roxas and Namin****é. I felt like I had to be in-depth about their conversation here to give you readers a detailed way of how Roxas and ****Namin****é get along initially. If you have any questions, feel free to ask. I shall do my best to accommodate. Enjoy reading!**

**Review Responses**

** : Not really, but yeah that would be pretty funny for sure LOL**

**piesh18: Thank you! Sokai...hmm...at this point, I'm not really sure if I'm going to use that pairing in this story, but I've definitely thought of doing so since I started writing this. You'll have to wait and see. Because on one hand, Kairi and Sora spending more time together may lead to Roxas and ****Namin****é doing the same...just please stay tuned! XD**

**Ana: They went to the same university, initially, not the same high school. Since they went to the same university and the fact that ****Namin****é and Roxas have different courses, it would be very unlikely for someone who didn't/doesn't go to the same university(****Namin****é's parents) to suspect that they knew each other. Plus, there are a lot of people in universities, so the chances are slim but not high enough for ****Namin****é's parents to actually suspect(that's how I portrayed it anyways). Roxas' parents didn't give any comments basically because they were letting ****Namin****é's parents do the talking. They were simply being 'respectful' (if that makes sense HAHAHA XD). Also, Roxas isn't really close to his parents, so they wouldn't know. Personally, making ****Namin****é cry in this story for me was very difficult. She's really more emotionally stable than she looks, but she's been dealing with other things(you'll find out in a few chapters XD), she's just been a mess. Well, here's the chapter for you then!**

**IGSP: Haha thank you! Here it is, at last!**

**Guest # 1: Thank you for the kind words! Here, a long chapter for you readers! XD**

**Guest # 2: Here you go!**

**Guest # 3: Thank you for the kind words!**

**XxThe-Crest-Of-AnubisxX : Here you go! Sorry for making you all wait XD**

**Thank you so much for the reviews guys. Please keep letting me know what you think about the story!**

* * *

Throughout the years, Roxas had one weakness that he could never seem to overcome—emotional instability. As the blond aged through puberty, he made tremendous strides to make sure he was physically and mentally ready for almost everything. However, when it came to his emotions, he could never seem to catch a break. Now, he was sure he was going to pay for it.

Naminé mildly trembled as she slowly tilted her head to meet Roxas' gaze. Roxas' features immediately softened. Naminé looked vulnerable at the moment and he wanted to make sure he wasn't going to take advantage of that.

Naminé opened her mouth to speak but quickly closed it. Roxas observed her and deduced that she just really had no idea where to start, hence she's unable to speak. As Naminé's mouth opened and closed like a fish, Roxas inwardly debated if he should do something to calm her down. But then, he realized doing anything for her won't be a good idea at the moment. He decided to simply allow her to do whatever she wanted.

"I…I'm really sorry…I just…I don't even k-know what to say…" Naminé weakly trailed. Roxas simply nodded in understanding, not even opening his mouth. "I'm so sorry for the words I said to you…I-I should've been more ca-careful and I shouldn't have been such a bitch when you've nothing but nice to me…I-I just c-couldn't…" before Naminé could utter another word, Roxas had enough. He knew that if he continues to let her talk like this, he'll most likely pay attention to her stuttering and almost-crying features rather than what she's actually saying. Hesitantly, Roxas approached the still-trembling blonde and wrapped his arms around her. As soon as he held her, Roxas felt a drop of liquid on his blazer which caused him to tighten his hold on her.

Roxas held the blonde as she silently allowed her tears to flow. After another minute of complete silence save for Naminé's occasional sniffing, Roxas finally spoke. In a low, gentle tone he said "It's okay, you don't have to explain. I understand. I understand why you said what you said, why you did what you did. I thought about it and I realized…I wasn't the only one who was having a difficult time here. You didn't ask for this either and everything you did was just how you reacted initially. I totally understand…I haven't been myself lately too. And let's face it…I didn't really put you in a position to explain yourself…"

Another minute of silence ensued, with Roxas still holding Naminé in his arms, mildly anxious of her reaction to his words. Soon enough, Naminé pulled away from the blond's embrace and looked him in the eye. She sniffed, wiped her eyes and spoke. "Thank you, Roxas…thank you for understanding, but still, I really am sorry. I'm so sorry for being selfish…I didn't think about how my words would affect you…all I thought about was how to voice out my frustration and…it just so happened that I was talking to you when I lost it. I'm really sorry…" Naminé said, apologizing endlessly in a broken tone. Every time a word would escape her lips, her tears would become thicker and flow faster. Roxas wanted to stop her, but decided against it. She appears she wanted to explain herself further. "You've been nothing but nice to me and I treat you…horribly. I'm just…I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry for crossing the line…for even calling you someone who fishes for compliments…I just…I don't even know why you're still here. You should just leave me and-"

That was it. That was the last straw. Roxas wanted her to explain her side, but this was just too much. He hates seeing anyone become an emotional mess, like Naminé at the moment, over him. Roxas reached out and cupped her cheeks gently. He tilted the blonde's face so that they were staring at each other directly once again.

"Naminé, listen, I understand. Please…just let it go. You already said sorry a number of times. Once is enough. I've forgiven you already. I'm sorry too, because I didn't confront you immediately about this. It's okay now, Naminé. I promise, you have nothing to apologize for anymore" Roxas cooed gently, a genuine smile on his lips.

Naminé wiped her tears away again, this time, a hint of a smile was on her lips. She sniffed, shivering mildly as she did. After wiping her cheeks her smile widened. "Thank you so much, Roxas. You don't have to apologize…you've done nothing wrong…" Naminé trailed as she shivered again.

Roxas, upon seeing this, immediately removed his blazer and walked over the blonde to hang it around her shoulders. "There…better?"

Naminé smiled gratefully "Yes. Thank you"

Roxas simply nodded in response. An awkward silence passed between the two. Eventually, Roxas turned his gaze back to the sky and leaned his arms on the nearby railing. Naminé walked over beside him and did the same. Roxas tried making small talk, as he thought it would be best if they start…fresh.

"How are you feeling? Is that headache still bothering you?" Roxas asked stupidly, though he already knew she was feeling alright at the moment. He _was_ the one who left the pills for her to take. Hey, if it's the only way to strike a conversation with his companion, why not?

"Oh no, I'm okay now. By the way, thank you so much for bringing me home that night. I was so careless with my alcohol…"

"Nah, it's alright. It happens to all of us."

"Thank you for leaving the medicine for me too. They really worked like magic" Naminé thanked shyly.

"No problem. You should thank Vanitas, actually. It was his car that I used to drive you home and the pills were on his car. I guess having a drunkard for a friend has its perks at times" Roxas commented, obviously trying to lighten the mood up.

Naminé giggled at the blond's last comment, much to his delight. He loved it when he was able to make her smile or laugh…since the beginning. "I see. No wonder I could smell his perfume when I woke up. The container of the pills had a sprinkle of his favorite perfume"

"How do you even know about his _perfume_?" Roxas teased with a mischievous smile "My Naminé, you sure have your ways…"

Naminé gaped and slapped his arm playfully, which made him chuckle "If you've forgotten, we're blockmates. We hang out pretty much every day during the school year"

"Speaking of school, I heard you're doing pretty well with your studies"

Naminé blushed "Huh? Well…not really. I'm doing fine…I guess"

Roxas rolled his eyes teasingly "Doing fine? Really, Naminé? I don't think you can classify running for cum laude as 'doing fine'".

"How do you even know about that?"

"Vanitas of course"

"Oh, right…how about you? Speak for yourself, Mr. Double-major-in-Stanford" Naminé countered teasingly.

It was Roxas' turn to blush "I'm doing good too I guess. I mean sure I'm in Stanford but I'm not running for cum laude like you are"

"But still, you're in Stanford…that's something else"

Roxas smiled "Come on, do you actually buy that? I mean, yeah being a Stanford student is an achievement but it's not like we stand out in life or something. We just receive what is perceived to be 'better education', that's all"

"Nah, you Stanford people are still…different" Naminé said with a smile of her own.

"It's not like you aren't 'different' either! Your sister told me you have two majors too! Having really high grades while taking up two majors isn't a joke in any school"

Naminé shook her head with a smile "I'm still going to stick with my stereotypes" she joked.

Roxas sighed in mock exasperation "Fine then. Anyways, how are your blockmates? Are Joshua and the others still around?"

"If you're talking about them still being students in Kentucky, then yes. If you're talking about them still being my blockmates, or should I say coursemates, then no. Joshua shifted to psychology right after freshman year. He's really doing well. Who else…Hope shifted to…I think information design? I'm not sure, either information design or information technology. His grades have been sky-high since. He seems to really enjoy his new course"

Roxas nodded in acknowledgement before asking "What about Noel? How is he? Haven't talked to him since I left for California"

Naminé's eyes widened a little in a surprise "You didn't know? He got kicked out…"

Roxas' eyebrows furrowed "What? Really? Why?"

"He failed Math 21 and English 14. I haven't heard from him since either"

At the mention of the subjects his old friend failed, a memory replayed itself in the blond's mind. He remembered the last week of his freshman year, where he, Ventus and Sora were out one night. They were having coffee at the local Starbucks when a stoned Noel stumbled upon them. He was rambling about how dead he was going to be because he had an exam in the next hour, he hasn't reviewed a word and is high as humanly possible. He was panicking like a little girl, he kept bugging Roxas and his friends which almost led to Roxas punching the living hell out of him. Now that he thought of it, the exam Noel was going to take that night(according to Noel himself) was a Math 21 exam. So that's why he got kicked out…

Roxas smiled to himself and said "I think I have an idea as to why he failed those subjects…"

"You two were really close, huh?"

"You…can say that. I'm not as close to him as I am to Vanitas, Ventus and Sora, but he's definitely someone I can confide in. Heck I've even told him some things I've never told anyone else in my life. It's kinda weird how we don't talk at all anymore. I wonder where he's studying now…"

"Last time I heard, he transferred to Michigan. Not bad, I mean Michigan's a really good school"

"Yeah, it actually is. I thought Vanitas was supposed to transfer there too?"

"Really? I didn't know that…" Naminé trailed with a creased forehead

"Originally, he wanted to transfer to Michigan, but for some reason I think his parents didn't approve of his decision. I also think that it helped that he loved staying here in his hometown"

"It sure did…"

"Man does time fly so fast…it feels like yesterday we were practicing for our Lit 15 play"

At the mention of the play their section performed two years ago, Naminé's smile widened and her face lit up "Those two weeks where we both practiced and actually performed our play was one of the best two weeks of my freshman year, to be honest. The entire year, we had our cliques and whatnot. It was when Sir Adams announced that we were going to perform a play and started practicing for it that we all became closer to each other"

Roxas nodded with a smile "For sure. Everyone just got along really well. By the time we performed the play, it looked like we've all been friends for years. I have to admit during the last month of freshman year I was closer to our EnLit section more than I was to my own block. That's how epic people from our EnLit are. It also helped that Serah decided to round up some of us right after our play and head over to a local bar"

Naminé gaped "What? You guys went to a bar right after the play? Who went along?"

"Serah, Aqua, Terra, Hayner, Ventus, Vanitas, Sora and myself"

"Wow…where did you guys go?"

"Walrus, since it was the nearest one outside of campus. Man, that Walrus session was just hilarious as hell" Roxas said as he started to laugh loudly "I remember going upstairs to Walrus and seeing the place packed to the roof. I went on to tell the guys that there were no tables available and started ranting about how we might not be able to…'unwind'. Then Ven goes forward, nods to the bouncer and enters the bar. We were all left shrugging at each other in wonder. A few minutes later Ven comes back out, waved for us to enter the club and whispered something to the bouncer. And the bouncer just steps aside and holds out the door for us. We entered the bar and Ven leads us to a table as if it was there the whole time. He just shrugged and said that he had some friends in the area who vacated the table for us. But the really crazy stuff happened when we were on our fourth beer tower"

At this point Naminé was laughing "Fourth beer tower? _Fourth?_ Wow, you guys sure did 'unwind'! That's crazy!"

Roxas shook his head animatedly "That's not even the crazy part! On our fourth beer tower, Vanitas suggested we play a game. Serah suggested Truth or Dare, but Ven chimed in and said we should just play Dare or Dare instead" Naminé laughed harder upon hearing the title of the game, urging Roxas to continue with his story "Things got heated pretty quickly. If I remember correctly, it was Serah who was on the spot the first go-round. Right off the bat, Vanitas dared her to kiss Ven for at least ten seconds"

That was when Naminé lost it. She howled in laughter as if it was the funniest thing she's ever heard in years. She tried visualizing the scenario in her head—her EnLit classmates in a bar full of people with probably party music booming, Roxas and the others cheering for Serah to perform her dare and Serah going along with the dare by kissing a blushing Ventus for ten seconds. She can already tell that during the kiss, Ven's eyes were wide open while Serah's were the opposite.

"Man everyone should've seen it! It was ridiculous! Serah just reached over, wrapped her arms around Ven's neck and kissed him. When she pulled away, Ven was blushing so had we thought he suffocated or something"

Naminé had to cover her mouth because she was laughing really hard. She managed to choke out "What did Serah say afterwards?"

"She just shrugged her shoulders. She said Ven was hot so she didn't mind"

Naminé's eyes widened in shock and amusement. She kept laughing but this time she used both of her hands to cover her mouth. Who knew Serah looked at Ven like that? There's nothing wrong with a girl saying that a guy is hot, but after kissing the guy? Just unbelievable. "I guess she was drunk?"

"No, she actually wasn't!" Roxas added as he himself lost it and started laughing hard. "I've never seen Ven blush as hard as he did at the time. But the absolute best part, was Ven was chosen to perform a dare _right after_ Serah. It was Hayner who gave him his dare and guess what the dare was? That Ven kiss Serah for ten seconds again!"

Both the blondes howled in laughter but this time, Naminé's sides started to ache from laughing. After a minute of composing themselves, Roxas resumed with his story.

"That night was really one of the best of my life. After Ven, I think it was Aqua who was next. She was dared to kiss Vanitas on the cheek, you know, 'cause Aqua has a personal rule of not kissing a guy on the lips that isn't her boyfriend. Then Vanitas, he was dared to ask for a random girl's number, which he succeeded in. Everyone else just followed after. At around two in the morning, Hayner suddenly stands up and announces that we should go eat someplace—his treat. There's no way we're turning down free food, so we left and went to KFC right around the block. Getting there was a challenge. We had or actually _I _had to help Hayner stay on his legs because he was just piss drunk at that point. We got to KFC and Hayner just makes it rain. He practically ordered everything on the menu! He spent more than a hundred dollars in KFC alone. We tried telling him that he didn't have to be that generous but he just brushed us off, saying something about him feeling obligated to treat us since the year was almost over. Heck, even getting to our table was a challenge. While Hayner and I were ordering our food, the others took a seat on a table on the second floor. Since Hayner was drunk, I had to help him walk up the stairs, go back and forth to the counter and to our table to bring our food and clean up after"

"Sounds like you guys really had a lot of fun. How come you guys didn't invite everyone though?"

"I don't really know. Maybe because we had class the following day and most of you guys won't be allowed to go to a club by your parents"

"Huh, good point…and if you've forgotten—all of us were underage at the time. Especially you! You were like what, sixteen at the time?"

"Yeah" Roxas nodded sheepishly.

Naminé pouted "That's awfully young for drinking…"

"Eh, I've had worse…I guess..."

A long silence passed. Both blondes just remained quiet and admired the beauty of the night sky. It was only when Roxas glanced at his watch when the silence was broken.

"Whoops, it's almost eleven. We should head back"

"Yeah" Naminé nodded "Here you go" Naminé said, removing Roxas' blazer and handing it back to him "Thank you"

Roxas smiled "You're welcome"

The two headed back downstairs to their families. When they arrived, everyone on the table stared at them with a smile. They all seemed happy to see them spending time together. Their incriminating gazes made both the blondes blush.

"I hate to say, but I'm afraid we have to go ahead. It's already late and some of us still have work tomorrow" Kiefer announced lightly.

"The same goes for us. We better be off" Devin added.

Everyone stood and prepared to leave. Both families went to the parking lot together, both sets of parents still conversing with one another. When they got to the parking lot, they exchanged hugs and smiles. With one last wave, both families went separate ways. As he was walking back to their car with his parents, an idea hit Roxas. He immediately turned around to see if Naminé and her family were already far ahead. They weren't. Roxas hesitated for a moment. Should he…? No...he shouldn't…but what if…but then…still…should he really…Roxas just shook his head and decided to go for it.

"Mom, Dad, give me a minute. I'll be right back" he said, not even bothering to wait for his parents' reply. He broke to a jog as he caught up with Naminé, who was about to enter their car. "Naminé!" he said, just loud enough for her to hear.

Naminé turned to him in confusion. "Do you have a minute?" Roxas asked as he stopped a few feet away from her.

Naminé simply nodded, her expression still one of confusion. She turned to her parents and spoke "Mom, Dad, just a moment" her parents simply nodded in understanding. Naminé closed the door and approached Roxas "Yeah? What is it?" she asked.

Roxas took a deep sigh before answering "This might sound dumb but uh…" he scratched the back of his head in embarrassment, only confusing Naminé even more. With enough courage, Roxas stared her in the eye and said "I know things between us weren't exactly…well, but hopefully that will no longer be the case. What I'm trying to say is, can we please start over? I mean, not that anything bad happened between us…it's just…" Roxas sighed. Why was it so difficult to say to her? "I just want to have a fresh start…if that makes sense?" At the moment, Roxas was blushing already.

Naminé remained silent for a few seconds. She digested Roxas' words. It seemed that he was trying to tell her something implicitly. Roxas said he wanted a fresh start. A fresh start. She repeated Roxas' words in her head. It didn't take long for her to catch on what the blond in front of her was really trying to say. He wants to start over again with her, meaning he wants another chance to establish a connection between them. A connection, which Naminé can only assume to be one of friendship since Roxas isn't the type to force himself romantically on a girl(as she has observed), that is free of influences regarding the past. A connection, which is fresh and is not affected by whatever happened between them in the past(which specifically, is Roxas having genuine feelings for Naminé). For Naminé, she saw no point in declining the offer.

She genuinely smiled at Roxas as she realized this. With a nod she replied "Sure"

Roxas released a sigh of relief. He thought Naminé was going to shrug him off like he was some weirdo. He couldn't help but smile. He knew she understood what he was trying to say. She's just that intuitive. "Great! Awesome! So uh…" Roxas took a step towards her and held out a hand "Back to square one?"

Naminé's smile widened "Back to square one" she answered softly as she shook his hand.

"Okay then…I guess…I'll see you next time. Good night! Take care!"

"Yeah, you too, Roxas" Naminé ended with a smile and entered her parents' car. She waved one last time before closing her door.

Roxas waved back and turned on his heels. He made his way back to his parents' car with a stupid smile on his face. When he entered the car, his parents oddly stared at him through the mirror. But of course, he was just too excited to even care. His father shrugged and drove back home.

A few days after that night, no interaction transpired between Roxas and Naminé. On Roxas' end, it was because he's either been working out or sleeping in to make up for the hours of sleep he lost during the previous school year. Surprisingly, since he and Naminé agreed to 'start over', he hasn't been getting as much nightmares as he thought he initially would. Sure, he had a few bad dreams every now and then, but they weren't as vivid as the ones before.

On a Friday afternoon, Roxas was roused from his sleep by his ringing cellphone. He dejectedly grabbed the device and pressed it to his ear, not even bothering to check who was calling.

"Hello?" he croaked out, giving off the impression of a dying horse.

"Are you okay Roxas?" the female voice on the other side asked.

"Yeah Kai, I just woke up"

"That explains your voice I guess. I'm at school right now. I'm thinking about chilling by Starbucks for a couple of hours. Wanna come?"

"If you don't mind, what time is it?"

"Um…a quarter after four"

Roxas' eyes widened, but he remembered that it was summer and relaxed "Alright, sounds good. I'll be there in about thirty"

"Great! See you there!"

Roxas got up and took a shower. After preparing himself, he sent his mother a text explaining that he was going out with a friend and left. He took a cab and arrived at Starbucks in around fifteen minutes. When he got off the cab he immediately spotted Kairi, who was sitting outside.

"Kairi!" he called out.

Kairi looked around for the owner of the voice. When she saw Roxas, she smiled and waved "Hey!"

"So, here I am. What's up?" Roxas asked as he approached her.

"Are you sure you don't wanna order first?" Kairi teased.

"Meh, fine. Be right back"

A few minutes later, Roxas got his drink and sat across Kairi. He took a sip of his coffee which caused Kairi to scrunch up her nose "Really Roxas? Coffee at this hour?"

Roxas stared at her incredulously "What's wrong with having coffee in the afternoon? I'm in the mood for it, so why not?"

Kairi simply rolled her eyes "Fine, it's your drink anyways"

Roxas chuckled before taking another sip "So, what's up? Why are you even here? I thought you'd be cooped up in your room watching 'How to Get Away with Murder' or something"

"First of all, I've already finished 'How to Get Away with Murder' last week. It was awesome! Second, I'm here because it turns out I had a hold order. So I went here to settle it"

"Library fees again?"

"No. Printing fees, actually"

"Ah, right. Communications subjects, I suppose?"

"Yep. Comm subjects gave me English 14 vibes last year"

"Sure seems like you can handle it" Roxas stated confidently.

Kairi shrugged "I guess so. I mean, I'm not running for cum laude like Naminé is, but I think I have decent grades"

Roxas simply chuckled in response "Yeah, I'm sure you girls define 'decent' as a 3.35 GPA or higher"

Kairi rolled her eyes at Roxas' comment. She decided to change the topic "Enough about me. Speaking of Naminé, what did you and her talk about a few nights ago when our families had dinner?"

Roxas was actually surprised when he heard Kairi's question "She didn't tell you?"

"Well she did but I wanna hear your side of the story"

"O…kay. Nothing much happened. She just apologized for what she did and what she said, then we talked basically about everything we brought up. We talked about our EnLit section, her blockmates, or should I say former blockmates and before the night ended, I asked her if we could start over then she said yes"

"She said pretty much the same thing. Although she did tell me that she found the last part unnecessary. You didn't have to ask her to start over, you know? I honestly think she would've given you another chance anyway. She's just that good of a person…kinda makes me proud to have her as my sister"

Roxas nodded with a smile "Indeed. She's really amazing. I dunno, I guess I just felt like I had to say it. Even if she would've given me another chance without me actually asking for it, I feel like we've been too vague with each other. So I just went ahead and became straightforward with her"

"Mhm, I see. But I'm pleasantly surprised. It seems things went much better between you two than you expected"

Roxas nodded again, finishing his coffee "Definitely. She and I talked a few nights ago as if we were actually friends. She's just that easy to talk to"

Kairi smiled sadly at Roxas' last comment "Huh, glad to hear. But you know…she's been really down lately…she has been since late May…"

Roxas' expression changed into one of concern. He then remembered what their maid told him when he drove Naminé home a few weeks ago. Their maid told him that Naminé's been really down since before summer started. Hearing this from Kairi again made him worry even more. "Yeah, so I've heard"

Kairi turned to him in surprise "From who?"

"Kate"

"Really? When?"

"When I drove Naminé home"

"So you know then…I wish I knew what was bothering her…" Kairi said sadly. She was worried about her little sister so much "She's never been this down in her life. Ever"

For some reason, Roxas felt guilty "Maybe it has something to do with the arranged marriage?"

Kairi shook her head, which surprised Roxas somehow "I don't think so. Well, maybe. But I think that's not entirely the reason…"

Roxas wanted to bring up Naminé's supposed relationship with Riku as a possible reason. Something must've happened between them. Or maybe Naminé' can't take not being with Riku because she's arranged to marry someone else…thus making Roxas guilty even more. Hopefully, they'll be able to resolve their issues. Then again, he isn't even sure if Riku and Naminé are dating for real. Roxas only hoped that now with Naminé giving him another chance, things will be better between them.

But at the back of his mind, something was telling him everything is just going to be even more difficult from here on out. Maybe he's just being paranoid…

Unfortunately, it turns out that he wasn't.

**A/N: So there you have it. For those of you thinking about how Roxas and ****Namin****é may have gotten a little too quickly/easily, I intentionally made it that way to show you readers how easy it is to actually converse with ****Namin****é and how much of a dumbass Roxas is for not trying to talk to her before. In the next chapter, I will likely write about Riku and ****Namin****é and how they're doing given the circumstances. I'm still thinking if I should include Roxas/** **Namin****é interactions next chapter or just purely Riku/** **Namin****é. Either way, I will start working on the chapter as soon as I post this. Please leave a review and let me know your thoughts about the story so far. Thank you for reading and have a good day!**


	7. Chapter 7: A Day with Riku

**A/N: Hello everyone, I'm back with another update! Like I said, I look to upload three or four chapters before school starts but unfortunately, I won't be able to do that. School starts tomorrow for me, but since it's the first week, I still might be able to upload another chapter. I'm sorry for not living up to my words, I really thought I had the time, but I had to leave and I only arrived two days ago. Anyways, here's the seventh chapter! I mentioned how I was debating if I should do pure Riku/Nami here or not, but I chose to go with the latter. This is just to show you readers how Namin****é's life is going, or at least give you an idea, also about her relationship with Riku. Shoutout to DestinyKeyblader28 for following, GGDude00 for adding this story to his/her favorite's list and IGSP for reviewing! Keep the support coming guys! It really inspires me to update faster! I hope you guys enjoy this chapter!**

**Review Responses:**

**IGSP: No promises there, hehe. Roxas and ****Namin****é will have ups and downs, and things may even get worse, but you'll just have to wait and see…hehe. Well as for Riku and her…you hate to see for yourself…and I'm sorry if I disappoint haha! Thank you for reviewing!**

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Naminé yawned as she stretched. She just woke up from another nap—her fifth of the day. Since the summer started, she's been craving for sleep. All the studying she did during the school year took its toll on her. It's already been three weeks since school ended and she still hasn't rested enough, according to her body at least.

She glanced at her nightstand and saw a blue light flashing on the top left corner of her phone. She grabbed it and checked; she turned out to have an unread message. She opened her inbox and saw that the text was from Riku.

"_Lunch at Frankie's? Pick you up at eleven?"_

She smiled almost instantly. Riku appears to have asked her out for lunch. She typed a quick reply and prepared herself for a day with the silver-haired person she had grown so fond of.

When she was ready, she went outside of her room and made her way downstairs. She approached her father, who was currently on his tablet reading up on some company reports.

"Hey dad" Naminé greeted.

Her father shot her a wide grin "Hello, Naminé"

"Riku and I will be having lunch together. I'll be back later"

Her father's smile narrowed a tad. She knew how much her father did not want her to spend too much time with Riku since she was getting…married. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Her father nodded in approval, which made her happy for the most part.

She kissed her father on the cheek and walked outside to the porch. She found her red-haired sister sitting on one of the benches around their garden. She quietly sat beside her with a light smile.

"Hey sis" Naminé greeted as she nudged her sister.

"Hey Nami" Kairi greeted back as she wrapped an arm around her younger sister's shoulder "You look happy today. Is it because of Roxas?" she teased with a raised eyebrow and a grin.

Naminé simply chuckled "Yeah, sure, Kai, whatever you say"

"No but seriously, what's with you today?"

Naminé pouted "Do I really rarely act like this?"

"So far this summer, yeah"

"I've been tired, that's all. School's a real pain in the butt"

Kairi rolled her eyes "Sure, it's such a pain in the butt that you're making school look like a joke. What are you dressed for anyway?"

Naminé smiled brightly as she replied "I'm going out with Riku in a while"

Roxas' words about his sister and Riku possibly dating rang in Kairi's ears. Sure enough, Naminé and Riku were very close, but this is college. This isn't like high school where two people who spend a lot of time together automatically become a couple. In college, all sorts of people hang out with one another and most of the time don't end up in a relationship. For a moment, Kairi thought about disregarding her blond friend's words. But he seemed to have a point. How Naminé and Riku's relationship was progressing reminded her of-

Yeah, she really shouldn't think about that.

"Where are you guys going?" Kairi asked.

"Lunch at Frankie's, then maybe hang out at the park or something"

"Do you like him?"

Naminé smiled inwardly at her older sister's bluntness but decided to play dumb. "Of course I do. He's a really good friend"

Kairi narrowed her gaze on her sister, which caused the blonde to laugh "You know that's not what I'm talking about"

"Fine, fine. To be honest, I don't know. I mean, I absolutely love spending time with him and he's a lot different from all the other boys I hang out with. I can be myself around him, for the most part. And he's really sweet, not to mention handsome"

"Sounds like Seifer all over again, eh?" Kairi teased as she burst out laughing.

Naminé glared at her sister and smacked her on the arm "I was fourteen when I had a crush on him! It's not like there was anyone better to have a crush on anyway! It was just a stupid high school crush"

"No need to get so defensive, Nami" Kairi added as she laughed harder.

"Ugh, I hate you Kai"

"I'm just kidding!"

"Whatever. But no, because with Seifer it was all physical attraction. With Riku…I'm drawn to him in a lot of ways. I dunno, I just really love to spend time with him. I'm not sure if I have romantic feelings for him, like I said"

"But does he make you happy?"

"Happy is a really strong word, so I wouldn't say that he does, but he does cheer me up and most of the time I feel better when I'm with him" Naminé answered, her gaze on the floor.

Kairi hummed in acknowledgement. She observed her younger sister's expression. Maybe she does like him. Naminé rarely ever gets comfortable with a guy the way she does with Riku. Kairi smiled. It wasn't everyday she got to see little Naminé(even if she wasn't little Naminé anymore) speak so thoughtfully about a guy. Then her smile suddenly turned into a frown. Now she had a better idea of the guilt Roxas felt about not allowing Naminé to have genuine feelings for a guy. During their little chat a few days ago, Kairi told Roxas about Naminé's supposed history with boys. She wasn't kidding when she said Naminé has never been truly into a guy in her life. Then Roxas said something about how the guilt made him feel even worse because he felt like it was Naminé's right to have genuine feelings for a guy and he was going to take that right away from her by being forced to marry her.

"I'm surprised you even answered my question. You normally don't say anything when it comes to a guy" Kairi remarked.

"Maybe that's because I've never really been this close to a guy" Naminé said with a small chuckle.

"Nah…there was Pence"

"Well yeah, but I mean, not like with Riku, that is"

Their conversation was cut short when they heard the sound of a car horn go off outside the gates. They both turned and saw a gray BMW. The window lowered to reveal Riku who gave them a wave. Both sisters waved back and Naminé stood up.

"There's my ride. I'll see you later, sis" Naminé said as she gave her sister a hug.

"Careful" Kairi advised in a motherly tone.

"Yeah, I know, I know" Naminé rolled her eyes and made her way to Riku's car.

"Hi Nami" Riku greeted as Naminé opened the door and sat on the passenger seat.

"Hey Riku!" Naminé greeted back with a smile.

"Let's head to the park after Frankie's?"

"Funny, I was about to ask you just that" Naminé said while she and Riku laughed.

"Great minds do think alike" Riku commented as he drove off.

"Definitely. So what's up? Is there any reason why you want to hang out today?"

Riku raised an eyebrow "Do I need a reason to hang out with you now?"

"Not really, just a question"

"Oh, because I'm so in to you and it would just break my fragile heart if I'm not within your proximity every three days" Riku retorted jokingly as he batted his eyelashes at his blonde companion.

Naminé laughed and smacked his arm playfully "Stop it you! No, really. Is something up?"

"Not really. Like I said, I just wanted to spend time with you" Riku admitted, making Naminé feel warm inside.

The two continued to chat on their way to the restaurant they always seemed to eat at whenever they were together. After a heavy lunch, both drove to the park, where they hung out for several hours. They sat on the bench near the fountain that was located on the center of the park and continued talking.

"So how was that dinner thing you guys had last Saturday evening?" Riku asked.

Naminé cringed. It's not that she didn't want to talk to Riku about it; heck she would talk about anything with Riku. It's just that she wasn't keen on sharing the…rather emotional experience to anyone. "It was nice"

"Your family ate with Roxas', right?"

"Yes"

"So how were they?" Riku pried, oddly interested in what happened which heightened Naminé's curiosity.

She sighed. It was just Riku after all. "It was alright. The conversation between our parents was quite pleasant. As for Roxas and I…" Naminé hesitated "…we got along just fine"

"Weren't things, you know…awkward?"

"At first, yeah, but we managed to have a civilized conversation" Naminé didn't feel the need to tell Riku about the first, emotional parts of her conversation with Roxas.

"That's good. Roxas is a nice guy after all. I mean sure, he can be an asshole but the guy is flat out nice, especially to his friends"

Naminé tilted her head slightly. All of the sudden, she was interested in what Riku had to say about the blond that is supposed to be her…fiancé. "How do you know that exactly?"

Riku turned to Naminé with a grin "He and I were seatmates during the first semester of our freshman year, remember?"

Naminé thought back to the first semester of her freshman year. During English 14, she sat right behind Riku and on his left sat Aqua and on his right sat…

It was indeed Roxas.

"Oh yeah, I forgot"

"Really Nami? You were sitting right behind me and I was sitting beside him" Riku said teasingly.

"He and I weren't exactly close, you know…" Naminé trailed, a light blush covering her porcelain cheeks.

Suddenly, Riku burst out laughing. He laughed so hard he started tearing up, which caused Naminé to look at him as if he lost his mind. "What's so funny?" Naminé asked with a weird stare.

"Nothing" Riku answered as he wiped a tear from his right eye "I just remembered when he told Hayner, Pence and myself that he had a crush on you!" Riku choked out as he continued laughing maniacally.

Upon hearing this, Naminé's cheeks turned ridiculously red. Her slight blush from earlier bloomed into a full-on blush. She was speechless. Since Roxas gave her that letter during the end of their freshman year, she tended to stay away from the topic about Roxas' feelings for her…before.

"You should have seen it, Nami! He was stuttering like a teenager who just started to hit puberty!"

"Wait, so he told you about…that?"

"Yeah! Hayner, Pence and I were actually the very first ones to know. It was during our first master lecture for Lit. The four of us were talking about the girls in our section then we asked him if he liked someone in the class. After much nagging, he said he liked…YOU!" Riku almost shouted, pointing at finger at his companion.

"What's so funny about it?!" Naminé retorted frustratingly. She gave Riku a shove and crossed her arms with a pout.

"It was just so epic, Nami. Imagine a stuttering, blushing and head-scratching fifteen year-old Roxas confessing he liked you"

Just as Riku asked her to, the image formed in her mind. She imagined the said blond, with spiky hair, sun-kissed skin, vibrant, deep blue eyes and all confessing his feelings for her…the image made her blush furiously, to the point where she looked like she was going to pass out for being so red. "Shut up!"

"But admit it, Nami, he's kinda cute, eh?" Riku continued to tease.

Naminé was flattered. She truly was. A lot of boys had crushes on her during her middle school and high school years, but no one had ever _liked _her. The boys she had encountered earlier in her life only wanted her because she was pretty and wealthy. Roxas on the other hand…not only had a crush on her, but actually genuinely liked her. Roxas told her how beautiful she was(which reduced her to a blushing mess upon knowing), how intelligent and insightful she was every time she shared her thoughts in class, how caring she was towards her friends and most of all…how simple she was as a girl(which Roxas claimed was the reason why he liked her). He said he liked her because she didn't wear all the skimpy and revealing dresses the other girls around campus do.

Sweet words…truly flattering and touching…but…

Naminé simply didn't know him well enough…

"Ugh, whatever" Naminé rolled her eyes.

"I was just kidding, Nami" Riku said in a low voice, actually beginning to feel concerned about Naminé. Naminé simply turned away from him and crossed her arms again. Riku reached over to touch her shoulder "Hey, you okay?"

Naminé didn't respond. Riku sighed and wrapped an arm around her shoulder. He pulled Naminé closer to him, making the blonde rest her head on his shoulder. "I didn't mean to go that far…" Riku whispered "I'm sorry…"

Naminé turned to him and smiled "You don't have to apologize. I just…don't exactly like talking about that…"

"Okay, I'll stop…"

Naminé sighed and rested her head back on his shoulder "It's not that there's anything wrong with him…he looks like he's a really nice person but I don't really like to overthink about things…"

"Mhm…okay…" Riku finished as he started to rub circles around her shoulder.

Silence ensued, with Naminé and Riku simply enjoying each other's company. Eventually, they started conversing again, with Riku doing the honors.

"Wanna do something?" Riku asked.

Naminé turned to him with furrowed eyebrows "Sure, any suggestions though?"

"I asked _you,_ you know" Riku said with a playful glare "I dunno, Library? I could read you Shakespeare again while you sleep"

Naminé had to laugh. She remembered the last time he went out with Riku to read. She kept complaining about how sleepy she was getting, so Riku challenged her to stay awake while he read _Hamlet_ to her. She ended up falling asleep on his shoulder and she got teased to death when she woke up afterwards.

"Alright, but this time, I'm staying awake!"

"Yeah, right"

Both walked to the library since it was only a few blocks away from the park. When they got inside, they picked their books and picked a table near the window. Both started reading their respective books. At some point, Naminé laid her head on Riku's shoulder as she read, making Riku blush at the gesture. He gazed down at Naminé and saw that she had a peaceful smile on her face. She looked so beautiful. Since they were sitting near the window, the rays of the sun that peeked through illuminated Naminé's form, making her look like an angel. Riku stared at her in awe, before realizing his stupidity and returning to reading.

Almost an hour later, Naminé completely fell asleep on Riku's shoulder, her book long forgotten. Riku smiled upon realizing this. He stopped reading, laid back and rested his cheek on top of Naminé's head. Immediately, sleep teased his eyelids. He simply succumbed to its gentle call.

Riku woke up first, hours later. He stretched and looked up at the clock to see that it was already six in the afternoon. The library was closing soon. He looked down and saw Naminé still soundly sleeping in his arms. He smiled. As much as he didn't want to, he had to wake her up. It was getting pretty late. He shook her awake and eventually she woke up. She yawned and turned to him.

"It's getting pretty late. We should head back" Riku suggested.

Before Naminé could reply, her tummy grumbled. She blushed in embarrassment while Riku only chuckled. "I guess we should eat first. Will your parents be fine if I take you home a little later?"

"Yeah, it's summer anyways" Naminé responded nonchalantly. "Let's go! I want steak!" Naminé enthusiastically got on her feet and grabbed Riku's arm to lead him outside. Riku could only follow with a smile on his face.

In the end, they both had to settle for seafood, since there was no steak place that wasn't full of reservations for the night. They ate for about an hour, then Riku proceeded to drive Naminé home. Eventually, they arrived outside the Blakewood's ridiculously elegant mansion. As Naminé unbuckled her seatbelt and prepared to leave, Riku grabbed her wrist. She turned to him confusingly.

Riku simply smiled that cute smile of his and asked "Wanna have dinner this Friday? I could probably take you out for steak by then" he ended jokingly.

Naminé blushed and smiled. The familiar feeling of warmth returned to her by just seeing that smile of his. She simply nodded before replying "Sure, I'd love to. I'll hold you to that!"

Riku chuckled "I know you will. Bye!"

"Bye!"

Naminé stepped back and watched Riku drive off. With a sigh, she entered their house. She greeted her parents, then proceeded to her room. She plopped down her bed in exhaustion. However, a smile made its way to her lips as she thought back to the events of today. Today was a good day.

With that, she changed clothes and fell asleep.

As Naminé slept, on the other side of the city, a blond boy was wide awake.

Roxas was on his laptop, boringly surfing the internet just so he had something to do that wasn't too exhausting and/or illegal. All of the sudden, he heard a knock on his door.

"Come in" he declared without taking his eyes off the screen of his laptop.

"Son," a feminine voice called.

He turned and saw his mother standing on the doorway. She walked over to him and handed him an envelope. Roxas furrowed his eyebrows in confusion as he took it.

"What's this, mom?" Roxas asked as he flipped the envelope. It had a large "S" with a red fill on it and a white outline.

Roxas' mom smiled. It has been a while since his son acknowledged him as "mom". "I'm not really sure. It's a letter from your school, addressed directly to you. I didn't open it since it must be something private"

Roxas smiled from his mother's understanding. He almost forgot how great of a mom he had. "Thanks mom"

With that, Roxas' mom smiled one more time and left his room, closing the door on her way out.

Roxas continued to search the envelope. On the bottom left, it was written "To Mr. Roxas Helterbrand". He shrugged and opened the envelope. He unfolded the letter inside and read it. The letter seemed to be irrelevant to Roxas. He prepared to toss the letter aside, before he read a sentence which shocked the hell out of him.

_In the face of all this, we are inviting you to attend tryouts this coming Thursday( June 21, 2015). Our team is in need of wide receivers and defensive backs, since our All-American performers have left for the NFL. The decision on which position you will play, is yours. We await your arrival, Mister Helterbrand._

_Sincerely, _

_Coach Daniel Shaw_

What

Just

Happened?

Roxas prepared to crumple the letter, thinking that it was some sort of a prank by some assholes in school. Before he was able to do so, his phone rang. He checked to see that it was his friend, Noel.

"Noel?"

"Hey, Roxas! Have you received your letter?"

"Huh? What letter?"

"That your football coach sent you, you idiot"

Roxas was concerned now. "How the hell do you know about that?"

"Let's just say I pulled a few strings…"

"You better have done it a legal way, or I might get in trouble for this"

"I did, don't worry. My father knows Coach Shaw, remember? He did all the talking about how good you were as a football player"

"Wow…thanks, to you guys, I guess" Roxas scratched the back of his head sheepishly.

"Sure man, no prob. You better get on the team this coming school year! I am going to kick your ass if you waste this chance!"

Roxas almost rolled his eyes but laughed "I know, I know"

"Good. Catch ya later bro. Gotta pack up. Going to Italy tomorrow"

"Oh, I see. Have a safe trip bro!"

"Thanks! See ya!"

"Yeah"

Roxas shook his head and noticed that a small piece of paper fell from the envelope. He picked it up and saw that it was a plane ticket to California. He stood up and went right downstairs. He saw his parents conversing amongst themselves. He coughed to catch their attention.

"Um, Mom, Dad, I'm off to California"

His parents looked at each other worriedly "Is something wrong, son?" his mother asked.

Roxas scratched the back of his head again, not knowing how to explain the situation.

"Uh…I got invited to football tryouts on Monday. I'm headed for Stanford tomorrow"

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**A/N: So, how was it? Please let me know, I really appreciate feedback from my readers. In the next chapter, the story will shift back to Roxas. I'm thinking about alternating chapters between Roxas and Namine's lives. Let me know if you guys wouldn't mind that. I introduced sports(specifically football) in this chapter because it will play a critical role in Roxas and Namine's relationship. How? I guess you just have to stay tuned hehe! Thank you for reading! **


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